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of  California 
n  Regional 
y  Facility 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


Some  historical  and  other 

facts  connected  with  one  of  the  first 

open  ports  in  China 


BY  REV.  PHILIP  WILSON  PITCHER,  M.A. 

Member  of  the  American  Refd.  Church  Mission 
Amoy,  China 


SECOND  EDITION. 

ILLUSTRATED 


TO 
A.F.M.P. 


20G5212 


CONTENTS. 


Foreword. 

Chapter 

I.     THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OP  AMOY.  5 

Physical  features.     Climatic  conditions.    Political 

divisions.     Principal  cities  and  towns.  6 

II.  THE  ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  AMOY.  13 
The  island.     The  harbor  of  Amoy.     The  city  of 

Amoy. 

III.  HISTORICAL  AMOY.  21 

1.  Domestic  Affairs. 

During  the  Sung  dynasty.  The  Princes  of  Sung. 
Buccaneers.  During  the  Ming  dynasty.  Kox- 
inga.  During  the  Ts'ing  dynasty.  The  Tai- 
ping  rebellion.  The  Boxer  movement.  The 
Fanners. 

2.  Foreign  Relations.  42 
Arrival  of  the  Portuguese.  Arrival  of  the  Spaniards, 

Arrival  of  the  Dutch.  Arrival  of  the  English. 
The  visit  of  the  American  Battleship  fleet.  The 
visit  of  the  American  Commercial  Commission. 

IV.  THE  DOORS  OF  AMOY  OPENED.  69 

The  hermit  kingdom.  The  East  India  Company. 
The  opium  trade.  The  destruction  of  opium. 
Arrival  of  the  "  Blonde."  Arrival  of  the 
British  fleet.  The  Treaty  of  Nankin. 

V.     THE  PEOPLE,  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS.  79 

The    Hak-kas.       The     Natives,     characteristics. 

Losing    face.     Physical     characteristics.      Foot 

binding.     Infanticide.     Classes.      Their  homes. 

Fukien,  meaning  of  the  word. 


ii  CONTENTS 

VI.     CLAN-FIGHTS.  99 

The  clan  a  powerful  factor  in  national  life.  The 
government  of  villages.  Clanfights  distinctively 
peculiar  to  Fukien  and  Kwangtung.  Baneful 
effects.  Causes  of.  Government  attitude  to- 
wards. 
VII.  PAGODA  SHADOWS.  119 

The   Southern   Sentinel.      Pagoda    Island.      The 

Feast  of  Tombs.     Ancestral  worship. 
VIII.     OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES.  141 

Agriculture.  Cultivation  of  opium.  Demoralizing 
effect  of  opium.  The  suppression  of  its  produc- 
tion. Narcissus  bulbs  industry.  Flora  and 
fauna.  Mining.  Fruit  canning.  Manufactur- 
ies. 
IX.  AMOY  EMIGRATION.  159 

The  Chinese  abroad.     Statistics.     Benefits  of  em- 
igration. 
X.     THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR.  179 

Antiquity  of  the  Chinese  language.  Chinese 
literature,  remarkable  features.  The  spoken 
language,  tones,  aspirates,  nasals,  synonyms,  clas- 
sifiers, and  grammar.  The  written  language 
construction  of  ideographs,  number  of;  classes, 
styles.  Permanancy  of  the  written  language. 
Diversity  of  the  spoken  language.  Benefits  of 
its  acquisition. 
XL  AMOY  ROMANIZATION.  201 

Date     of    construction,    formation,    orthography, 
numbers  using.    Dictionaries.  Literature.    Text 
books.     Periodicals. 
XII.     AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER.  213 

Foreign  firms..  Foreign  residents  in  the  district. 
Value  of  trade.  Exports.  Re-exports.  Imports. 
Currency. 


CONTENTS  iii 

XIII.  AMOY  AS  A  CENTER  OF  MISSIONARY  ENDEAVOR.  229 
Protestant  Missions.    American  Reformed  Church 

Mission.  English  Presbyterian  Mission.  Lon- 
don Missionary  Society.  Other  Missions.  Church 
union.  Educational  institutions.  Medical  work. 
Translation  work.  Tract  society. 

XIV.  KOLONGSU,  INTERNATIONAL  SETTLEMENT.          251 
The  island  of  Kolongsu.  Camel  Rock  and  inscrip- 
tion.    Residences,  schools,  public  buildings,  and 
Recreation  Ground.     Date   of  inaugurating  the 
International    Settlement.      History    of    events 
preceding  its  inauguration. 

XV.     TRAVELLING  IN  THE  AMOY  DISTRICT.  265 

Railroads.  Roads.  Sedan  chairs.  Boats.  Burden 
bearers.  Chinese  inns.  Distances  from  Amoy. 
Scenery. 

XVI.    PLACES  OF  INTEREST.  287 

Temples.  Rocking  stone.  Bridges.  Memorial 
arches. 

APPENDIX. 

AREA  AND  POPULATION  OK  CHINA.  321 
STATISTICS  OF  VALUE  OF  TRADE.  324 
STATISTICS  OF  THREE  MISSIONS.  329 
TREATY  PORTS.  315 
MAP  OF  KOLANGSU.  321 
AMOY  BUSINESS  DIRECTORY.  305 
INDEX.  331 
NOTICES  OF  AMOV  IN  THE  CHINESE  REPOSI- 
TORY 1833-1850.  338 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

KOLONGSU  AND  AMOY  -  -  Frontispiece 

AMOY  CONSULATES:  Facing  Page 

AMERICAN,  JAPANESE,  GERMAN,  BRITISH  -                   42 

MAP  OF  AMOY  REGION     -  4 

MAP  OF  AMOY  ISLAND  AND  HARBOR    -  -                      5 

MAP  OF  FUHKIEN  PROVINCE    -  10 

AMOY  CLUB  HOUSE      -  43 

CUSTOM   HOUSE        -  186 

SIGNAL  STATION  -  187 

AMOY  CITY  FROM  THE  HILLS      -  4 

FIRST  PROTESTANT  CHURCH,  AMOY-  198 

NORTH  GATE  OF  AMOY  CITY  WALL    -  13 

A  COUNTRY  "LAU":  CLAN  RESIDENCE  -                        87 

A  CHINESE  VILLAGE  HOUSE  86 

SUGAR-CANE  MILL   -  143 

A  SAMPAN    -  218 

THE  "SOUTHERN  SENTINEL"  PAGODA  -                       94 

ANGLO-CHINESE  COLLEGE,  KOLONGSU   -  202 

TEMPLE  ON  A  BRIDGE       -  241 

BRIDGE  ACROSS  A  STREAM     -  241 

SECTION  OF  POLAM  BRIDGE       -  240 

POLAM  BRIDGE      -  240 

MEMORIAL  ARCH      -  248 

NATIVE  SEDAN  CHAIR  -  218 

FOREIGNER'S  HOUSE  BOAT:  " GOSPEL  BOAT"  225 

NATIVE  SAILING  VESSEL  :  JUNK  -  224 

THE  ANHEI  BRIDGE          -        -        -  -     *  -              242 


ii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  NATIVE  AMBULANCE  -----  224 

GRAVES  OF  A  FAMILY  -        -  230 

AMONG  THE  TOMBS-        -----  231 

AMOY  RAILWAY  STATION     -  130 

EMIGRANTS  LEAVING  AMOY      -  130 

TALMAGE  MEMORIAL    -----  202 

HOPE  AND  WlLHELMINA  HOSPITALS-               -  202 

HONGKONG  AND  SHANGHAI  BANK-        -  48 

UNG-WEN  INSTITUTE       -  48 

DRUM  WAVE  ROCK       -  209 

CAMEL'S  ROCK  244 

THE  ROCKING  STONE    -  244 

THE  GREAT  PEACE  TEMPLE     -  235 

ENTRANCE  TO  LAM-PHO-TO  TEMPLE      -  234 

PICTURESQUE  ROCKS  ON  THE  BEACH  7 

A  PART  OF  KOLONGSU           -  208 

MAP  OF  KOLONGSU  -        -        -  321 

His  HIGHNESS  PRINCE  Yu  LANG-  51 

WELCOME  ARCHES    -----  56 

SHOWING  ROCK  FORMATION  -  12 

IRRIGATING  RICE  FIELDS  -  142 

HOUSE  OF  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL  (1842)     -        -  199 


FOREWORD. 

The  material  for  this  small  volume  has  been 
gathered  from  many  sources,  and  from  personal 
research  and  observation  during  more  than  twenty- 
five  years  residence  in  the  place.  Some  of  the 
matter  has  appeared  in  print  before,  but  it  is  the 
belief  of  the  writer  that  by  reproducing  it  here  in 
this  form  the  value  of  the  book  will  be  enhanced 
and  at  the  same  time  make  it  more  complete  in  all 
its  parts. 

Perhaps  no  place  along  this  entire  coast  has 
had  a  more  interesting  and  exciting  story  to  tell 
than  this  same  small  island,  scarcely  eight  miles 
across.  Many  are  the  stirring  events  which  have 
taken  place  here  and  in  the  neighborhood.  For 
hundreds  of  years  it  was  the  rendezvous  of  bold 
buccaneers  and  unscrupulous  adventurers,  who, 
ravishing  and  plundering  its  inhabitants  without 
mercy,  made  off  with  the  spoils  only  to  return 
another  day  to  renew  their  wild  depredations  more 
violently  than  before.  It  has  been  the  theatre  of 
many  a  fierce  struggle,  and  the  strong  strategical 
position,  or  gateway  to  all  the  vast  territory  beyond 
(even  Formosa  itself),  coveted  alike  by  Manchus,  the 
Long-haired  Rebels,  the  Dutch,  and  the  Japanese. 

The  story  of  some  of  these  events  has  been 
chiselled  on  the  rocks,  or  carved  on  Memorial 
Arches,  which  time,  for  the  past  300  years  at  least, 


2  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

has  failed  to  erase.  About  some  of  them  it  will 
be  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  tell,  as  well  as 
something  concerning  the  homes,  country,  in- 
dustries, customs,  and  language  of  this  people. 
While  the  book  does  not  pretend  to  have  exhausted 
the  subjects  presented,  yet  it  is  hoped  that  these 
brief  glimpses  will  be  sufficient  to  prove  both 
instructive  and  interesting.  They  are  glimpses, 
however,  of  but  a  small  corner  of  China,  and  it 
must  not  be  assumed  that  they  reveal  the  whole 
empire. 

Whatever  else  Amoy  may  have  given  to  the 
world  (and  it  has  given  much)  it  has  contributed 
two  words  to  the  English  language,  sufficient  in 
themselves  to  immortalize  the  place. 

(1)  The  word    '•tea'1  had  its  origin  in  Arrioy, 
being   derived    from  the  word  pronounced  in  the 
local  dialect,  with  a  circumflex  over  it,  te  to  indicate 
its  tone.     T£.  Tea. 

(2)  The  etymology  of  the  second  word  is  not 
so   clear,    but  the  word   "satin"   is   said  to  be  of 
Chinese  origin  (vide,  Webster's  Dictionary,  Satin), 
and    is    probably   derived     from   the   proper   noun 
Zeitun  or  Zayton  (a  place  about  which  more  will 
be  said  later  on),   an  ancient  city  near  Amoy,  a 
once    famous   emporium   from   which  shiploads  of 
raw  material  for  silks  and  satins  were  transported 
to  Manila  and  thence  to  Mexico  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  1 6th  century.  <  . 


FOREWORD  3 

In  this  second  edition  some  new  chapters  have 
been  added  and  others  eliminated  and  such  a  rear- 
rangement of  old  and  new  material  as  to  render  the 
book  more  logical  and  comprehensive. 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  his  in- 
debtedness to  all  who  have  contributed  in  anywise 
to  the  production  of  this  book,  whether  in  the  way 
of  helpful  criticism  or  suggestion. 

May  the  book  prove  not  only  interesting  to 
those  who  have  lived  here,  and  to  those  who  still 
reside  here,  but  may  it  enable  our  friends  in  the 
home  lands  to  better  understand  our  environments 
in  this  part  of  Far  Cathay. 

Kulangsu,  November  8th,  1910. 

P.  W.  P. 


auviuivw 


CHAPTER     I. 
THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF  AMOY. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  great  Empire  of 
China  on  the  borders  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where 
its  western  shores  sweep  for  2,000  miles  south- 
westward,  in  N.  Lat.  24°  and  E.  Long.  118.°,  lies 
the  little  island  of  Amoy.  So  hidden  is  it  behind 
the  still  further  outlying  ones  that  protect  it  from 
the  sea,  such  as  Ouemoy  (^  f^),  Le-su  ($J|  *f|), 
Tai-tan  (^  J0),  and  Chhi-su  ( J|  (£),  that  the 
traveller  would  be  apt  to  miss  it  as  he  journeys  up 
and  down  the  Formosa  Channel. 

It  is  therefore  located  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  Fukien  province,  which  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Chekiang,  on  the  south  by  Kwangtung,  on  the 
west  by  Kiangsi,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Formosa 
Channel.  The  Amoy  district  covers  an  area  of 
about  18,000  square  miles,  comprising  three  Fu 
with  twenty  counties;  and  two  Chiu  with  four 
counties,  having  a  total  estimated  population  of 
10,000,000  people. 

A  Fu,  or  Hu  as  it  is  called  in  the  Amoy 
vernacular,  corresponds  somewhat  to  a  Congres- 
sional district  in  the  United  States.  A  Chiu  is  the 
same  as  a  Fu,  only  *  smaller  and  less  ancient. 

*  Douglas'  Dictionary. 


6  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Physical  Features. 

The  region  of  Amoy,  like  the  whole  of  Fukien 
is  decidedly  mountainous.  The  waterways  are 
numerous  spreading  out  in  all  directions  thro  the 
great  and  fertile  plains  of  this  entire  district.  The 
estuary  on  the  North  extends  within  a  few  miles  of 
Tong-an*  (Tung-an)  ;  and  still  farther  North  to 
An-hai  the  inland  port  of  Chuan-chow.  Still  further 
up  the  coast  is  a  stream  running  close  by  the  city  of 
Chuan-chow  itself,  which  is  formed  by  two  branches 
having  their  sources  away  beyond  An-khoe  (An-ki) 
and  Eng-chhun  (Yungchun),  but  only  navigable 
by  small  craft.  Westward  is  the  Dragon  River, 
which  just  above  Chioh-be  (Shihma)  branches  off 
into  two  small  streams,  the  one  called  the  North 
River,  sweeping  far  round  by  Leng-na  Chiu 
(Lungyenchow)  ;  the  other  the  Chang-chow  River 
which  penetrates  by  its  numerous  branches  into  all 
of  the  southwestern  parts  of  this  district. 

Up  as  far  as  Chioh-be  the  Dragon  River  is 
navigable  by  light  draught  launches  and  sail-boats, 
but  beyond  that  point  only  boats  that  draw  about  a 
foot  of  water  can  proceed. 

Climatic  Conditions. 

During  a  certain  part  of  the  year  the  climate  is 
most  disagreeable  and  trying  while  at  other  times 
none  could  be  more  delightful.  The  latitude  24°  28' 

*The  spelling  of  the  names  of  Fu  cities  follows  that  given 
in  the  Chinese  Imperial  Post-Office  Guide.  In  regard  to  other 
names  the  old  style  is  used,  but  with  new  spelling  in  brackets. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF  AMOY     7 


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8  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

is  just  a  degree  above  the  tropics,  being  about  the 
same  as  Key  West,  Florida,  U.S.A. 

There  are  four  seasons,  spring,  summer,  autumn  *•• 
and  winter.  Spring  begins  in  February,  summer  in 
May,  autumn  in  October  and  winter  in  late  Decem- 
ber. Spring  and  summer  are  rather  trying,  autumn 
and  winter  beautiful  and  very  healthful.  From  the 
middle  of  January  till  well  along  in  May  the  wet 
season  usually  prevails. 

Sometimes  the  wet  season  is  shorter,  but  one 
can  generally  count  on  this  period  of  dampness. 
Clothing,  shoes,  and  books,  unless  carefully  protected 
and  watched  become  covered  with  mould, — and  a 
sticky  sensation  is  universally  prevalent. 

After  the  wet  season  there  follows  the  hot  and 
humid  summer.  Thus  it  is  not  alone  the  heat  that 
smites — (the  mercury  rarely  rises  as  high  as  96° 
Fah.)  but  the  heat  combined  with  something  like 
80%  of  humidity  makes  it  at  times  almost  unbearable 
— especially  at  night.  During  the  day  the  sea- 
breezes  to  a  certain  extent  cool  the  atmosphere,  but 
very  often  not  a  leaf  stirs  after  the  sun  has  set. 

As  Amoy  lies  in  the  track  of  typhoons  there 
are  times  when  there  is  decidedly  too  much  breeze. 
Fortunately  these  storms  are  not  of  frequent 
occurrence  as  the  island  of  Formosa,  lying  just 
opposite,  serves  as  a  buffer  turning  them  off  into 
the  broad  Pacific. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF  AMOY    9 

It  is  always  possible  to  escape  the  heat  of 
summer  if  necesssary,  either  by  a  visit  to  "Big-Hat" 
(T6a-bo),  a  mountain  about  2,000  feet  high  within 
25  miles  of  Amoy  to  the  southwest,  or  to  "Drum 
Pass"  mountain  (Kuliang)  2,400  feet  high,  four 
miles  east  of  Foochow.  In  these  places  there  will 
be  found  a  summer  climate  comparable  with  similar 
resorts  in  the  homelands.  Many  seek  these  places 
in  the  summer  time,  especially  Kuliang,  which  has  a 
summer  population,  composed  of  missionaries,  mer- 
chants, and  Consuls,  of  over  three  hundred  *  people. 

The  summer  ended,  there  then  follow  three  or 
four  months  of  as  fine  weather  as  any  one  could 
desire.  Days  and  weeks  of  bright  skies  and  balmy 
a'r  follow  in  unbroken  order. 

Really  this  all  compensates  for  the  cruel  things 
one  has  suffered  up  to  this  season.  It  is  usually  a 
healthy  period.  Not  that  spring  and  summer  are 
necessarily  unhealthy — but  only  that  they  require 
more  care  and  moderation  to  insure  health.  Prob- 
ably there  would  be  fewer  breakdowns  if  this  were 
more  generally  recognized. 

Occasionally  there  is  frost,  rarely  any  snow. 
During  the  twenty-five  years  of  the  writer's  re- 
sidence here  snow  was  seen  but  once  (1892),  and 
then  not  over  half  an  inch  deep.  It  was  a  rare  sight 
for  the  natives.  Not  one  of  them  remembered  any 
previous  occurrence  of  the  same  kind.  For  all  that 


1910. 


TO  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

is  known  some  of  that  snow,  in  liquid  state,  may  still 
be  in  existence.     For  the  natives  took  good  care  to 
bottle  some  of  it,  and  undoubtedly  cured  (?)  many 
an  ill  or  ache  with  it. 
Political  Divisions. 

CHUAN-CHOW  Fu  &  >>H  j£f 
County  of  Chin-kang  ff  ££ 
„  Lam-an  ftf  % 
„  Hwei-an  $[  % 
„  An-khoe  ^  *M 
„  T6ng-an  f^J  % 
Estimated  Population  3,000,000 

CHANG-CHOW  F1T  f^  *J.[.j  j£f 
County  of  Liong-khe  f|  ^ 
,,  Chang-pu  ff:  fig 
„  Lam-cherig  ^  jf 
„        „  Tio-thoa  ^  ^ 
,,  Peng-ho  ^  ^u 
„  Chiau-an  ^  ^ 
„  Hai-teng  jfc  ^ 

Estimated  Population  2,500,000 

TING-CHOW  Ftj  ff  i^I  ^P 
County  of  Siong-hang  _h  UL 
„  Ti6ng-theng  ^  vT 
„        „  Ung-hoa  ^  ft 


„  Lian-seng  5! 
„  Chheng-liii 
„  Eng-teng  fc 


CHE-KIANG 


\ 


The  Fukien  Province:  Political  Divisions. 

Note.  The  six  political  divisions  lying  south  of  the 
double  line  are  sometimes  referred  to  as  South  Fukien 
but  of  these  Henghoa  is  not  included  in  the  region  spoken 
of  as  the  "Amoy  District." 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  OF  AMOY  n 

Estimated  Population  3,500,000 
ENG-CHHUN  CHIU  ^c  ^  'J-H 
County  of  Tek-hoa  fjg  ft 

„  Toa-chhan  ±  fH 

Estimated  Population  500,000 

LENG-NA  CHIU  ff  jf|  $•} 
County  of  Chiang-peng  $ffc  ^ 

„  L6ng-iong  ^  ^ 
Estimated  Population  500,000 

H£NG-HOA.  Fu,  with  its  two  countries,  is  also 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Taotai  (*Intendant  of 
circuit,  who  rules  several  departments)  residing  at 
Amoy,  but  since  this  Fu  is  in  closer  proximity  to 
Foochow,  it  is  omitted  here. 
Principal  Cities  and  Towns, 

For  the  most  part  the  people  in  the  Amoy 
region  live  in  small  villages.  There  are  but  few 
large  cities,  Amoy  being  the  largest  with  an  estimated 
population  of  400,000  or  500,000. 

§  Fu  cities.  Chuan-chow,  f  population  150,000; 
Chang-chow,  population  200,000 ;  Ting-chow  popula- 
tion 100,000. 

•\-\Hsien  cities.  Tong-an  ( Tung-an  ) ,  population 
40,000;  Peng-ho,  (Pinghwo),  population  10,000; 

*  Douglas  Dictionary. 
§  Prefectural  cities. 

t  All  these  figures  are  estimates,  and  must  not  be  consider- 
ed accurate. 

tt  County  seats. 


12 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


Lam-an  (Nam-an),  population  5,000;  An-khoe, 
(An-ki)  population  3,000.  Hui-an  (Hweian), 
population  20,000;  Lam-cheng,  (Nancheng), 
population  10,000. 

*  Chiu  cities. 
population  30,000 ; 
population  20,000. 

Other  towns.  Chioh-be  (Shihma)  population 
60,000;  Peh-chui-ia  (Paishuiying)  population  5,000; 
An-hai,population  20,000. 


Eng-chhun      (  Yungchun  ) , 
Leng-na      (  Lungyenchow  ; , 


*Smaller  than  a  prefecture. 


in 
w 
o 


NORTH  CATS  AMOY  GITY  WALL 


CHAPTER     II. 
THE  ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  AMOY. 

The  City  of  Amoy  on  the  island  of  the  same 
name  is  situated  300  miles  north  of  Hongkong, 
200  miles  south  of  Foochow  the  capital  of  the 
province,  550  miles  south  of  Shanghai,  and  1,100 
miles  south  of  Peking. 

The  island  is  seven  or  eight  miles  across,  and 
about  twenty-five  miles  in  circumference.  It  came 
near  losing  a  large  slice  of  itself  by  the  waters  of 
a  deep  bay  on  the  west  side.  The  surface  is 
extremely  rough  and  rugged.  Great  boulders,  and 
high  rock-capped  hills  stretch  out  before  one's 
vision  in  a  line  of  unbroken  profusion  and  forming 
a  landscape  both  wild  and  pleasing. 

The  name  by  which  the  island  was  first  known 
seems  to  have  been  Ka-ho-su*  ^  ^  ^|  i-e.,  The 
Island  of  the  Goodly  Crops.  (1276).  In  1654  Kox- 
inga  changed  the  name  to  Su-beng-su  (JU,  I#J  *U)  i,e., 
The  Island  that  Remembers  the  Mings, — meaning 
thereby  that  this  island  was  the  last  place  in  the 
\vhole  Chinese  Empire  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
conquering  Manchus.  (1680). 

During  the  time  of  the  Manchu  invasion  when 
Koxinga  had  the  coast  and  inland  districts  divided 
into  seventy-two  military  posts,  Amoy  was  known 
by  the  name  Tiong-tso-sofpf*  ~£  0f)-  *•?•>  The  Middle 


Topography  of  Amoy. 


14  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Left  District.  Some  time  later  in  its  history  it 
received  the  name  Lo-kang*  (f£  £C)  i.e.,  The  Egret 
River  or  The  Paddy  Bird  Stream, — on  account  of 
the  large  number  of  white  egrets  or  paddy-birds 
that  frequent  the  streams  about  here.  Somewhere 
about  A.D.  1400  it  received  its  present  name 
Amoyf  (g  PJ)  i.e.,  The  Mansion  Door,  or  The 
Elegant  Gate,  but  just  why  is  not  very  apparent. 
The  meaning  of  the  name  may  be  in  reference 
to  Formosa,  as  Amoy  was  considered  to  be  "the 
throat  or  strategical  key  to  that  island."  However 
this  name  did  not  come  into  regular  use  until 
after  the  subjugation  by  the  Manchus  had  been 
completed  in  1680. 

The  two  ranges  of  barren  and  bleak  hills 
which  stretch  across  the  island  from  north  to 
south,  make  vegetation  scarce.  The  farms  are 
confined  to  the  very  small  patches  of  ground  that 
lie  in  the  valleys,  or  nestle  by  the  hillsides.  One 
hundred  and  forty  villages  are  hidden  away  among 
the  hills  and  rocks,  averaging  §  1 ,000  souls  apiece. 
The  houses  are  very  rarely,  if  ever,  isolated. 
Harbor  of  Amoy 

The  harbor  of  Amoy  is  one  of  the  best  on  the 
China  coast.  It  consists  of  an  inner  and  outer 
harbor.  Ships  can  secure  good  holdings  in  the 
outer  harbor,  and  can  anchor  securely  in  the  inner 


*  Poetical  name. 

f  Locally  written  E-mtig.  Maiulariti  Hsia-men. 

§  Estimated. 


THE  ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  AMOY     15 

harbor  within  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  The 
tides  in  this  harbor  rise  and  fall  from  16  to  18* 
feet. 

Although  the  China  and  Formosa  tea  trades 
which  once  made  this  port  commercially  very 
important  have  passed  away  entirely,  yet  there  are 
about  75  or  100,  or  more,  ships  entering  and  clear- 
ing here  each  month.  The  majority  of  these  are 
coasting  vessels  plying  between  China  coast  ports, 
Formosa,  Hongkong,  the  Philippine  Islands,  and 
the  Straits  Settlements.  But  the  future  has  still 
greater  possibilities  in  store  for  it.  With  the 
development  of  railroads,  some  already  begun, 
whose  terminus  will  be  near  this  harbor,  its 
importance  will  be  increased  many  fold,  surpassing 
even  its  palmiest  days  of  years  gone  by. 

The  city  of  Amoy\  is  situated  on  the  south- 
western extremity  of  the  island,  and  was  built, 
probably  during  the  Ming  dynasty  in  1394. 

The  Island  of  Amoy  contains  in  all  a  population 
estimated  at  about  a  half  million.  About  four-fifths 
of  this  population  live  in  Amoy  city,  the  crowded 
condition  of  which  can  easily  be  imagined  when  we 
consider  that  the  dwellings  are  mostly  one  and  two 
story  houses  contained  within  an  area  of  little  more 
than  two  square  miles.  Within  the  city  of  Amoy 


*  At  times,  especially  when  a  heavy  northeast  gale  is 
blowing,  they  rise  even  higher.  The  highest  point  reached 
has  been  twenty-five  feet. 

t  N.  Lat  24°  28'.  E.  Long.     118°  10" 


1 6  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

there  is  a  walled*  town  which  at  one  time  probably 
held  most  of  the  city's  population.  There  are  about 
50,000  people  crowded  in  between  the  four  walls  of 
this  town.  At  each  of  the  four  points  of  the 
compass  in  this  wall  there  is  a  gate.  This  walled  city 
is  well  worth  a  visit.  The  spectator  on  the  parade 
grounds  will  notice  a  wall  also  to  the  south  and  ex- 
tending from  the  sea  up  over  rugged  crests  of  the 
hills  to  the  east.  This  might  be  termed  the  outer 
wall.  It  was  built  several  centuries  ago  to  assist  in 
protecting  the  inhabitants  of  Amoy  from  the  ravages 
of  pirates,  who  infested  these  regions  up  to  within 
a  comparatively  few  years  ago. 

The  city  is  divided  into  18  wards  and  is 
governed  by  a  Municipal  Council,  having  under  its 
control  a  fairly  good  police  force.  The  police  force 
came  into  vogue  in  1907. 

A  city!  But  not  the  kind  of  city  you  have  in 
mind.  There  are  no  wide  avenues,  beautiful  private 
residences,  magnificent  public  and  mercantile  build- 
ings. All  is  directly  opposite  to  this  condition  of 
things.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  crooked, — with 
the  sewer  underneath  and  plainly  in  sight  thro  the 
chinks  of  the  uneven  flagstones, — ever  winding  and 
twisting,  descending  and  ascending,  and  finally 
ending  in  the  great  nowhere.  The  wayfaring  man, 
tho  wise,  is  bound  to  err  therein.  There  is  no 
street  either  straight,  or  one  even  called  "  Straight" 
in  Amoy. 

*  30  feet  high,  15  feet  broa>l  at  base,  12  feet  broad  at  top. 


THE  ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  AMOY    17 

Then  in  addition  to  the  crookedness,  they  must 
add  another  aggravation  by  making  some  of  them 
very  narrow.  There  are  streets  in  Amoy  so  narrow 
that  you  cannot  carry  an  open  umbrella,  but  there 
are  others  ten,  twelve,  and  fifteen  feet  wide.  Of 
course  they  are  crowded,  what  else  might  be  ex- 
pected. The  streets  are  alive  with  a  teeming 
throng,  and  the  unwary  pedestrian  is  liable  to  be 
hustled  about  and  shouted  at  unceremonious- 
ly. Here  every  aspect  of  Chinese  life  passes 
before  you,  presenting  grotesque  pictures.  Here 
goes  the  motley  crowd,  from  the  wretched  beggar 
clothed  in  filthy  rags  to  the  stately  mandarin 
adorned  in  gorgeous  array.  On  beholding  such 
sights  we  stop  and  question  ourselves  if  this  is  all 
real  or  whether  it  is  not  the  .working  of  our 
imagination.  Men  almost  nude,  hatless  and  boot- 
less, go  hurrying  by,  giving  a  grunt  of  warning  for 
people  to  clear  the  road  as  they  go  struggling  under 
the  weight  of  some  ponderous  burden,  while  still 
others  are  bearing  on  their  shoulders  the  sedan 
chair.  What  does  it  all  mean?  Have  men  turned 
themselves  into  "beasts  of  burden?'1  Indeed  they 
present  a  sad  phase  of  human  life.  But  perhaps  the 
beggars  show  a  more  wretched  state  of  existence 
than  these  "heavily  laden"  ones.  They  dress 
themselves  in  the  most  outlandish  way  possible  and 
appear  as  hideous  as  they  can.  They  do  most 
horrible  things  to  carry  on  their  profession,  such 
as  putting  out  their  eyes,  deforming  their  features, 


1 8  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

cutting  the  flesh  and  severing  the  cords  of  the 
body,  and  thus  destroy  the  use  of  their  limbs.  We 
once  saw  one  of  these  professionals  on  all  fours, 
being  unable  to  stand  erect.  Thus  men  deform 
themselves  to  gain  a  lazy  livelihood.  It  is  horrible 
enough  for  men  thus  to  mutilate  their  own  bodies, 
but  what  sight  so  piteous  as  to  see  a  little,  deformed 
and  blind  girl,  shabbily  clothed,  seeking  for  "cash" 
for  those  at  home  who  have  made  her  the  miserable 
creature  she  now  is.  Oh,  that  the  shadows  and  the 
darkness  might  no  longer  fall  upon,  and  crush  the 
life  out  of  these  little  ones! 

Here  we  see  queer  sights  and  hear  strange 
noises.  Through  crooked  and  extremely  narrow 
streets  we  wend  our  way:  climb  flights  of  stone 
steps  and  pass  through  much  mud  and  filth.  You 
have  no  idea  what  disgusting  places  these  streets 
are.  In  the  words  of  the  poet:  "Several  well- 
defined  and  distinct  stenches"  greet  the  sense  of 
smell  at  every  step.  The  streets  are  always  full 
and  in  "Indian  file"  the  procession  moves.  One 
must  needs  be  on  constant  guard  else  he  will  run 
against  some  one  ahead  or  be  run  into  from  the 
rear.  "Lost  in  wonder  and  amazement"  at  the 
strange  sight,  we  are  suddenly  made  aware  of  our 
existence  by  the  shouting  of  some  degenerate  coolie 
as  though  we  were  ten  miles  off,  to  "  clear  the 
track."  And  we  clear.  He  goes  by  and  we  escape 
injury.  So  he  is  forgotten  and  we  become  oblivious 
to  everything  in  the  line  of  coolies  and  look  in  wonder 


THE  ISLAND  AND  CITY  OF  AMOY    19 

at  the  open  shops  with  their  wares  in  full  view. 
These  shops  have  no  doors  or  windows ;  one  whole 
side  is  open.  They  look  more  like  stalls  than  stores. 
Multitudes  rush  by.  All  is  motion. 

Pandemonium  reigns.  Gongs  are  sounding  in 
every  direction,  travelling  musicians  and  theatre 
orchestras  are  vicing  with  each  other  to  make  the 
louder  noise;  hucksters  and  coolies  are  shouting, 
dogs  (with  which  the  land  abounds)  are  barking 
and  fighting,  and  usually  a  battle  of  words  (the 
nearest  approach  to  a  street  fight  there  is)  is  taking 
place  somewhere  in  sight. 

As  we  pass  along  we  get  a  hasty  glance  into 
the  homes.  Dark  and  dreary  places  they  are.  It 
is  easily  seen  that  very  little  sunlight  can  penetrate 
within  them.  The  windows  are  little  more  than 
small  openings  without  glass,  and  are  usually 
closed  with  wooden  shutters ;  how  can  the  cheering 
rays  of  the  sun  steal  an  entrance  there!  What  this 
city  needs — what  these  homes  need — is  Sunlight, 
and  the  Light  of  Life. 

Temples  there  are  by  the  score,  with  their 
hideous  looking  idols,  and  where,  not  only  worship- 
pers congregate,  but  where  "  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men ''  come,  some  with  their  burdens,  some  with 
their  wares.  Here  may  be  found  the  itinerating 
barber  with  his  entire  tonsorial  paraphernalia  wait- 
ing for  customers,  and  many  beggars  spending 
the  idle  hours  picking  out  the  vermin  from  their 
dirty  and  ragged  garments. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HISTORICAL  AMOY. 
1     Domestic  Affairs. 

Long  before  Amoy  became  a  port  of  entry  for 
domestic  and  foreign  trade  there  was  another  city 
somewhere  in  this  vicinity  called  Zeitun,  or  Zayton, 
which  held  that  distinction  down  to  the  end  of  the 
1 4th  century.  Just  where  that  strange  and  remark- 
able city  was,  no  one  seems  really  to  know ;  nor  do 
I  propose  to  settle  it  after  the  many  pages  that 
have  been  written  on  the  seemingly  inexhaustible 
subject.  Some  writers  will  tell  you  that  there  can 
be  no  doubt  about  Chuan-chow-fu  (Chin-chiu)  being 
the  place ;  others  will  declare  it  was  Chang-chow-f u 
(Chiang-chiu).  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  might  have 
been  either,  as  both  of  these  cities  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  capital,  in  turn,  of  the  Empire  at 
one  time  or  other  during  the  I3th  and  I4th  centuries. 
But  there  are  other  writers  who  will  just  as 
strenuously  argue  that  the  site  of  this  ancient  port 
was  Haiteng,  a  small  county  seat  of  the  present 
day,  situated  about  16  miles  west  of  Amoy  and 
near  Chioh-be. 

But  wherever  it  was,  and  it  was  no  myth,  it 
was  famous  for  its  large  and  extensive  trade  with 
India,  Arabia,  and  Western  Asia.  It  must  have 
been  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  greatest  com- 
mercial center  of  the  world  at  that  time.  From 


22  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

this  port  were  exported  immense  quantities  of  silks 
and  satins,  sugar  and  spices.  And  thither  was 
imported  "the  most  astonishing  quantity  of  goods 
and  precious  stones  and  pearls.''  It  was  also  from 
this  ancient  city  of  Zayton,*  that  Kublai  Khan's 
expedition  to  Java  and  Japan  set  sail. 

During  the  Southern  Sung  Dynasty  (1126-1278} 

Amoy  first  conies  to  notice  in  the  days  of  the 
Sung  dynasty  (1126-1278)  when  it  existd  only  as 
one  of  Marco  Polo's  "isles  of  the  sea,"  then  probably 
inhabited  by  a  few  poor  fishermen  and  roving 
adventurers.  To  this  place  came  the  princes  of 
Sung,f  when  they  fled  from  the  capital  at  Hangchow 
on  account  of  the  invasion  of  the  Mongols.  Stop- 
ping first  at  Chnan-chow  (^  #|)  they  made  their 
way  to  this  place  where  they  arrived  in  the  winter 
of  A.D.  1276,  landing  on  the  northeast  coast  at  a 
place  called  Gaw-thong  (S  ®)t 

After  1345  history  records  how  for  200  years 
bold  buccaneers  and  Japanese  marauders  pillaged 
and  murdered  the  people  of  the  island  without 
snowing  mercy  either  to  the  women  or  children. 
Out  of  self-defense  the  poverty-stricken  inhabitants 
were  compelled  to  cast  it  their  lot  with  these  des- 


Douglas  Dictionary. 

t  "Topography  of  Amoy."  Translated  by  C.  A.  V. 
Bowra,  Esq.,  Commisioner  of  Customs  at  this  port,  1905-1909. 
For  other  data  contained  in  this  chapter  the  author  wishes  here 
to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Bowra. 

t  The  place  where  General  Burgevine  is  said  to  have  been 
drowned. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  23 

peradoes,  and  hence  it  became  a  most  notorious 
rendezvous  for  buccaneers  and  pirates  from  along 
he  entire  coast. 

during  the  Ming  Dynasty.  (1367-1644.} 

Worthy  of  special  record  at  this  point  is  the 
nse  and  fall  of  Koxinga  and  his  army  of  loyalists. 
His  father,  Ti  Chi-liong  j$  ^  ff  of  Chioh-chi 
near  An-hai.  while  still  a  young  man,  ran  away  to 
rapan    where    be    became    a    lawless  adventurer. 
Ahere  he  married  a  Japanese.     Returning  to  China 
k  harrassed  for  many  years  the  maritime  districts 
(f  Fukien  and  Kwangtung.     In  1626  he  invaded 
Amoy   and    again    in     1627,    when   he    defeated 
the  government  troops  and  took  possession.     After 
a  desperate  fight  at  Foochow  in   1628,   with    the 
invading  Manchus,  his  wife  being  killed,  he  sur- 
rendered, but  his  loyalty  was  never  above  suspicion. 

But  it  is  with  his  son,  viz :  Ti  Seng-kong  f$$c 
$j  (Koxinga)  that  the  exciting  events  of  Amoy  are 
connected.  He  was  probably  born  in  Japan,  but 
left  for  China  when  seven  years  of  age.  At  fifteen  he 
had  won  a  literary  degree.  Soon  after  he  became 
acquainted  with  one  of  the  Ming  princes  who 
praised  his  cleverness,  took  a  great  fancy  to  him, 
and  "made  him  a  noble  of  the  third  grade."  He 
was  also  given  the  rank  of  Kok-seng  gj  %£  i.e.,  "he 
who  bears  the  name  of  the  ruling  Kok  (Dynasty)." 
To  the  last,  as  his  history  will  show,  he  remained 
steadfastly  by  the  Mings  and  never  surrendered  to 


24  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

the  Manchus,  but  opposed  and  fought  them  to  the 
end. 

In  the  mighty  struggle  against   the   latter  h 
chose  Amoy  for  his  place  of  defence.     It  was 
who  changed  the  name   of  the   island   to :     "  Tie 
Island  that  remembers  the  Mings." 

He    collected   a  band    of   followers,    several 
thousand  strong  and  set  up  his  standards  (1647); 
on  the   island  of   Kolongsu,    an    island  just   op-j/ 
posite  Amoy.     He  had,   it   is   said,*    a    fleet  o 
8,000  war    junks,   240,000    fighting    men,    8,oo< 
Ironsides;  and  with  all   the  pirates   that  infestei 
the  coast  of  southern  China  under  his  command  hj 
claimed  to  have  a  combined  force  of  800,000  men. 
In  training  his  men,  we  are  told,  he  used  a  stone 
lion  weighing  over  600  pounds  to  test  the  strength 
of  his  soldiers.     Those  who  were  strong  enough  to 
lift  this  stone  and  walk  off  with  it  were  selected  for 
his  own  body-guard,  named  the  "«Tiger  Guards." 
They  wore  iron  masks  and  iron  aprons ;  they  carried 
bows  and  arrows  painted  in  red  and  green  stripes, 
matching  with  long  handled  swords  used  for  killing 
horses ;  and  they  were  stationed  in  the  van  that  they 
might  maim  the  horses'  legs.     They  were  his  most 
reliable  troops  and  were  called  "Ironsides." 

In  vain  the  Manchus  endeavored  to  dislodge 
him  and  in  1660  they  suffered  a  serious  defeat  just 
off  Ko-kia  (JtJ  ||J),  a  small  town  about  three  miles 
northwest  of  Amoy. 


"Topography  of  Amoy. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  25 

In  the  year  1662  Koxinga  died,  leaving  his 
son  in  command.  He  did  not  possess  the  ability  of 
his  father  and  Amoy  was  captured  with  the  aid  of 
the  Dutch  by  the  Manchus  in  1663.  but  the  place 
was  not  finally  conquered  until  1680.  Thus  did 
Koxinga  "remember  the  Mings." 

At  Chioh-chi(3J  #)  the  home  of  Koxinga's 
father  his  memory  is  still  preserved,  and  his  deeds 
commemorated  by  a  temple.  "The  court  is  dim 
with  weeds,  but  lists  of  honors  won  by  members  of 
the  family  hang  upon  the  walls,"  demonstrating 
that  even  in  recent  times  the  name  is  still  of  some 
distinction. 

On  the  left  side  of  the  "big  road"  leading 
from  Amoy  to  E-mung-kang  there  are  several 
images  and  a  riderless  horse  grouped  about  and 
under  a  small  open  temple.  These  are  said  to  have 
been  erected  to  commemorate  the  deeds  of  Koxinga, 
"  the  great  general." 

During  the  Present  Ts'ing  Dynasty. 

This  region  has  been  the  battle-ground  of  many 
a  mighty  struggle,  most  of  them,  however,  more 
spectacular  than  otherwise,  as  very  few  have  been 
accompanied  by  great  loss  of  life.  On  one  occasion 
after  a  three  days'  fight,  when  the  Imperial  troops 
were  endeavoring  to  recover  the  city  of  Amoy  from 
a  body  of  insurgents,  it  was  learned  from  reliable 
sources  that  the  net  results  of  that  famous  battle 
were  as  follows :  killed,  none ;  wounded,  none ; 
prisoners,  none. 


26  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  Tai-Ping  Rebellion. 

The  origin  of  the  Tai-ping  Rebellion  (1850-65) 
is  well  known.  Born  from  the  seed  of  injustice, 
cruel  oppression,  and  abuses  which  had  been  sown 
for  thirty  years,  it  sprung  up  into  a  mighty  force 
which  shook  the  nation  to  its  very  foundation. 
About  the  same  time  that  the  rebellion  started  there 
appeared  on  the  horizon  in  the  province  of  Kwang- 
tung  a  man  who  was  destined  not  only  to  become 
a  successful  leader  (up  to  a  certain  point)  of  this 
movement,  whose  purpose  was  to  drive  the  Manchus 
from  the  Dragon  throne,  but  the  fearless  champion 
of  a  greater  cause,  namely  the  destruction  of  every 
idol,  and  every  idol  temple  in  the  whole  empire. 
How  this  was  all  brought  about  the  pages  of  history 
have  made  sufficiently  clear.  We  need  not  therefore 
pause  to  recount  it. 

The  man  was  Hung  Sin-chuen  '(gi  |f?  ^s)  who 
was  born  in  Canton,  1813.  He  became  a  convert 
to  Christianity,  and  according  to  some  historians, 
was  baptized  by  Gutzlaft.  Under  his  brilliant  leader- 
ship Kwangsi,  Hunan,  and  Hupeh  were  soon  aflame 
with  the  spirit  of  rebellion,  while  the  iconoclastic 
campaign  did  its  destructive  work.  While  this 
caused  the  wildest  consternation  in  all  quarters  yet  it 
appealed  marvellously  to  the  common  people  every- 
where, until  an  army  of  50,000  was  in  the  field 
fighting  for  the  Mings,  and  making  havoc  of  old 
forms  and  hoary  headed  customs  and  systems. 

The  movement  spread  over  the  whole  country, 
not  always  under  the  sobriquet  of  "The  Long-haired 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  27 

Rebels"  (from  the  fact  that  they  did  not  shave), 
but  it  often  masqueraded  under  other  appellations. 
In  the  Amoy  district  it  went  for  a  time  by  the  name 
of  "The  Little  Knife  Insurrection."  (1853).  To 
be  sure  these  insurgents  did  not  allow  their  hair 
to  grow  long,  but  it  was  a  part  of  the  one  great 
plan,  tho  perhaps  its  chief  and  only  object  was  the 
overthrow  of  the  Manchu  government,  while  it 
cared  nothing  or  very  little  about  the  extermination 
of  "the  imps"  (idols)  from  the  land.  In  the  main 
its  object  was  the  same, — and  its  end  likewise,  tho 
its  course  was  shorter.  It  rose  and  perished  in  a 
year. 

It  became  known  by  the  name  of  "The  Little 
Knife  Insurrection"  because  those  who  enlisted 
carried  short  swords  or  knives.  They  also  armed 
themselves  with  spears  and  old  matchlocks. 

From  the  start  it  received  the  support  and 
sympathy  of  the  people  over  this  entire  district. 
From  Amoy  to  Chang-chow  and  Chang-pu  the 
whole  country  seemed  to  rise  as  one  man  to  drive 
out  the  Tartars  and  to  restore  the  Mings.  The  local 
mandarins  became  wild  with  frenzy,  and  the 
Imperial  troops  were  generally  demoralized.  Both 
Amoy  and  Chang^chow  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
insurgents,  while  whole  villages  were  plundered 
and  their  houses  burned.  For  many  days  these  two 
cities  were  in  a  state  of  siege.  Every  native  was 
obliged  to  give  a  good  account  of  himself. V  Failing 
in  this  his  life  was  in  great  danger.  Some  met 
untimely  deaths  in  this  way. 


28  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

For  about  a  year  the  struggle  surged  to  and 
fro.  Chang-chow  was  captured  by  the  rebels  and 
again  retaken  by  the  Imperialists.  Amoy  fell  before 
the  insurgents  early  in  the  campaign.  This  was 
followed  by  numerous  attempts  to  recapture  it.  In 
one  of  these  endeavors  in  the  summer,  in  which  the 
three  days'  fighting  already  mentioned  occurred,  the 
land  forces  on  both  sides  amounted  to  something 
like  1 5,000  or  20,000  about  equally  divided.  The 
three  day's  fight  resulted  as  already  recorded. 
At  the  same  time  a  naval  battle  took  place  in  the 
outer  harbor,  when  some  30  or  40  battleships 
(junks)  engaged  about  an  equal  number  of  the 
same  order  of  crafts  of  the  enemy.  Not  much 
damage  was  done  on  either  side.  The  mandarin's 
fleet  finally  withdrew  and  left  the  insurgents  in 
possession. 

The  insurrection  continued  until  November 
when  the  government  was  able  once  more  to  exert 
its  authority.  Amoy  was  taken  by  an  overwhelming 
force  but  the  leaders  escaped.  Government  officials 
"wreaked  their  rage  on  the  helpless  and  unoffend- 
ing townspeople.  Hundreds  of  both  sexes  were 
slain  in  cold  blood."  Thus  ended  the  rebellion  in 
"an  undiscriminating  and  insensate  massacre." 

The  Tai-pings,  the  real  long  haired  rebels, 
appeared  again  in  a  most  unexpected  moment  in 
this  region  in  October  1864,  when  they  captured 
the  city  of  Chang-chow  and  held  it  until  April 
1865.  After  their  defeat  at  Nanking  a  large 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  29 

number  "made  good  their  escape"  some  one  way 
and  some  another.  Perhaps  a  couple  of  thousand 
of  this  number  "managed  to  march  across  the 
intervening  districts  southwesterly  to  the  city  of 
Chang-chow,  near  Amoy,  where  they  entrenched 
themselves  till  the  next  spring,  subsisting  on  the 
supplies  found  in  the  neighborhood."  They  were 
dislodged  by  a  force  of  8,000  well  disciplined  men 
brought  down  from  the  north. 

Among  the  Hhree  hundred  foreigners  who  had 
joined  the  rebel  cause,  was  General  Burgevine, 
who  preceded  General  Gordon  in  command  of  the 
"Ever  Victorious  Army."  For  some  reason  or 
other  he  forsook  the  Imperialists  and  came  down 
to  Amoy  with  the  purpose  of  joining  the  Taipings 
at  Chang-chow.  But  he  never  reached  that  city, 
tho  just  what  disaster  overtook  him  after  his  arrival 
in  Amoy  will  probably  never  be  known. 

Very  little  is  really  known  of  his  movements 
beyond  a  certain  point.  He  came  to  Amoy,  passed 
over  to  Formosa,  came  back  to  this  port,  and  soon 
afterward  started  on  his  northward  journey  to 
Peking.  At  this  point  the  curtain  drops,  absolutely 
cutting  off  all  traces  of  his  subsequent  movements. 

The  surmise  is,  that  while  on  this  overland 
journey,  he  was  betrayed  by  his  black  servant  into 
the  hands  of  the  Imperialists  and  drowned  while 
crossing  the  ferry  at  Caw-thong. 


*WJlliams  Middle  Kingdom.  Vol.  II.  Pp.  613  and  622. 


30  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Some  portions  of  this  district  still  bear  the 
marks  of  this  rebellion,  and  many  years  will  pass 
before  final  restoration  is  accomplished.  Chang- 
chow,  almost  the  very  last  camping  ground  of  the 
"straggling  relics  of  the  Tai-ping's  heavenly 
adherents,"  never  recovered  from  its  overthrow. 
Evidences  of  the  devastation  wrought  may  still  be 
seen  in  the  ruins  that  remain. 

"On  the  1 3th  of  March  1865  the  British 
Consul,  Mr.  W.  II.  Peddar,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Douglas,  a  missionary  (E.  P.  M.).  and  a  storekeeper 
in  Amoy,  left  in  the  gunboat  "Fisher"  to  visit 
the  rebels  (Taipings)  at  Chang-chow.  They  were 
hospitably  entertained  by  the  rebel  leaders,  and 
found  five  or  six  foreigners  serving  in  prominent 
positions  among  them  under  the  immediate  control 
of  one  Rhody,  late  Colonel  and  Adjutant  General 
in  Colonel  Gordon's  force.  The  party  brought  back 
with  them  as  a  guest,  and  returned  afterwards 
safely  to  Chang-chow,  one  of  the  leading  rebel 
chieftains.  This  worthy  was  treated  with  high 
distinction  and  entertained  on  H.  M.  S.  "Pelorue," 
on  which  vessel  the  visitor,  who  went  on  board  to 
see  him,  recognized  in  the  distinguished  guest  his 
former  chair  coolie  in  Hongkong." 

The  Boxer  Movement. 

The  history  of  the  intercourse  of  foreigners 
with  China  has  often  been  punctuated  with 
startling  outbursts  of  fanatical  passion.  The  Tien- 
tsin Massacre  1870,  the  Hwa-sang  Massacre  1895, 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  31 

the  Boxer  Movement  1900,  and  the  Lianchau 
Tragedy  1905,  all  show  with  what  frequency  the 
pages  of  Chinese  history  during  the  past  generation 
have  been  marked  with  atrocious  and  barbaric 
deeds  of  violence  against  strangers  within  the 
gates. 

The  wild  events  of  1900  were  prefaced  by  the 
coup.de-tdte  of  Sept.  2ist,  1898,  which  was  soon 
after  followed  by  the  announcement  of  the  death 
of  the  reigning  monarch  Kwang-su.  For  the 
moment  this  was  not  regarded  as  a  very  unusual 
occurrence,  and  moreover  Chinese  Emperors  always 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  dying  at  convenient  seasons. 
Why  not  Kwang-su! 

But  for  some  reason  or  other  the  Powers  did 
not  approve  of  this  method  of  laying  aside  the 
royal  diadem.  In  fact  the  whole  episode  caused  such 
a  bad  impression  everywhere,  coming  at  such  an 
inopportune  time,  that  it  was  once  more  con- 
veniently discovered  that  Kwang-su  was  not  dead 
after  all. 

However,  with  the  national  aspect  of  this 
movement  either  in  regard  to  the  stirring  events 
which  preceded  it,  or  the  awful  storm  that  burst 
with  such  fury  over  North  China,  or  the  storm 
center  which  hung  over  Peking  from  the  middle  of 
June  till  Aug.  I4th,  we  are  not  now  concerned.  The 
pages  of  history  are  sufficiently  replete  with  these 
facts,  but  our  purpose  now  is  only  to  show  How  it 
affected  Amoy. 


32  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  fearful  times  in  North  China  conld  net 
help  affecting  the  whole  country  to  some  consider- 
able extent.  While  no  great  damage  was  done  in 
the  district  of  Amoy,  more  or  less  excitement 
prevailed  everywhere.  We  were  never  sure  what 
might  happen.  God's  protection  was  about  us  just 
as  manifestly  as  it  was  about  those  shut  up  in  Peking. 
Attempts  were  made  to  incite  the  people  of  this 
district  to  deeds  of  violence,  but  they  failed.  The 
following  i$  a  free  translation  of  a  yellow  placard 
that  was  posted  up  all  over  the  city  of  Amoy : — 

"Because  I  hear  that  Arooy  has  a  great  many  foreigners 
(barbarous  slaves)  and  Christians  I  have  ordered  twelve 
association  men  to  proceed  to  Arooy  to  organize  a  '  Righteous 
Harmony  Society'  (Boxers).  If  any  of  you  people  wish  to 
join  this  society  you  should  come  to  Ka-ho-san,  Chhan-chhu-oa 
(a  place  on  the  outskirts  of  Amoy,  among  the  bills),  and 
enroll  your  names.  But  you  must  be  twenty  years  old;  in  the 
whole  membership  of  our  society  none  exceed  twenty  years. 
The  power  of  the  spirits  (Genii)  protects  us  from  the  injury  of 
swords,  etc.;  these  cau  in  nowise  hurt  us.  If  any  of  you  doubt 
thip  eorne  and  join  the  society  and  you  will  see.  The  purpose 
of  forming  our  '  Righteous  Harmony  Society'  is  to  destroy  the 
foreigners  and  the  native  Christians,  but  without  harm  to  any  of 
our  own  people.  I  issue  this  proclamation  and  command  you. 

Submit  to  the  present  dynasty. 

I     Seal     I  Destroy  the  foreigners. 

Amoy,  July  17,  1900." 

So  far  as  known  not  one  responded  to  this 
command.  No  rioting  took  place  in  or  about  Ainoy 
itself.  But  up  in  the  interior,  from  which  points  all 
missionaries  and  others  had  withdrawn  early  in  July, 
there  was  some  trouble,  especially  in  Chang-chow 
Fu  and  Leng-na  Chin,  and  Ting-chow  Fu,  north 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  33 

and  west  of  Anioy.  Chuan-chow  Fu,  and  Eng-chhun 
Chiu  were  practically  undisturbed. 

The  explanation  of  all  this  is  simple.  It  was 
due  entirely  to  the  different  attitude  shown  by  the 
officials  toward  existing  events,  and  to  the  difference 
in  character  of  the  two  Taotais  (civil  magistrates) 
who  stood  at  the  head  of  these  two  provincial 
departments  viz:  Chang-chow  and  Chuan-chow. 
The  one  took  every  possible  precaution  against 
any  outbreak,  and  by  proclamation  signified  his 
intention  to  deal  speedily  and  severely  with  all 
offenders  against  foreigners  and  native  Christians. 
He  gave  all  to  understand  that  under  no  con- 
sideration nor  circumstance  would  he  tolerate  any 
insubordination  or  insurrection.  The  result  was  as 
already  indicated,  everything  went  along  smoothly 
and  quietly.  The  other  took  few,  if  any,  precau- 
tions outside  of  the  city  of  Chang-chow  itself 
where  he  resides.  Apparently,  too,  he  had  no 
control  over  his  subordinates.  This  weak  jelly- 
fish policy  brought  its  Nemesis.  The  rowdies 
along  the  North  River  and  in  the  regions  beyond 
soon  became  emboldened,  and  began  their  fiendish 
work  of  destroying  chapels  and  persecuting  the 
native  Christians. 

The  American  Reformed  Church  Mission  had 
the  new  chapel  at  Leng-soa  looted  and  then  occupied 
by  the  ruffians  as  a  rendezvous  for  a  month  or 
more.  Besides  this  three  other  chapels  (rented 
houses) located  at  Tiong-li-jin,  Hoe-khe,  and  E-lang 


34  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

were  destroyed.  There  was  no  loss  of  life  re- 
ported, even  the  heathen  affording  protection  to 
the  persecuted  Christians.  But  in  some  instances 
the  native  converts  of  Christianity  were  unmer- 
cifully robbed  of  everything, — houses,  fields,  deeds 
of  property,  crops  and  all  the  clothing  they 
possessed,  save  what  they  had  on.  In  some  cases 
children  were  seized  and  held  as  hostages.  Prices 
ranging  from  $30.  to  $85.  were  paid  to  redeem  them. 
A  number  of  pastors  and  preachers  (evangelists)  had 
their  children  stolen.  The  total  loss  from  destruction 
of  property  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $1,500.  Mex. 
The  London  Missionary  Society  suffered  far 
more,  having  eight  or  ten  chapels  along  the  North 
River  destroyed,  half  of  them  were  distinctively 
church  buildings,  the  remainder  rented  houses. 
The  total  loss  was  estimated  to  be  $20,000  Mex. 
Neither  in  these  places  was  any  loss  of  life  reported. 
These  sufferers  also  bore  the  same  testimony  of 
shelter  and  protection  given  them  by  th^ir  unconvert- 
ed neighbors,  showing  most  conclusively  that  the 
persecutions  were  none  of  their  choosing. 

And  in  justice  to  the  people  of  this  district, 
noted  for  their  sobriety  and  industry,  it  should  be 
said,  that  with  a  Taotai  of  some  mental  caliber  and 
moral  stamina,  such  atrocities  could  not  and  would 
not  have  occurred. 

The  cause  of  tJie  Boxer  Movement. 

We  may  well  digress  for  a  moment  to  inquire 
into  the  causes  of  this  furious  outbreak.  By  what 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  35 

psychological  reasoning  the  Chinese  authorities 
reached  the  conclusion  that  all  foreigners  were 
enemies,  and  therefore  to  be  hated  and  exterminat- 
ed without  distinction,  should  not  be  difficult  to 
discover. 

First  then  it  was  hatred  of  all  foreigners  and 
all  that  was  labelled  foreign.  No  discrimination 
was  drawn  between  nationality,  creed,  or  occupa- 
tion. Belgian  engineers,  diplomats  and  missionaries 
without  distinction  were  objects  of  the  wrath  of  the 
Boxers. 

Second,  two  or  three  reasons,  whether  they  be 
sufficient  or  not,  may  be  pointed  out  for  this 
hatred : — 

(1 )  For  years  China  had  witnessed  her  domain 
being  sliced  off.     England  was  in  possession  of  the 
island   of    Hongkong,    and    Japan    of    Formosa; 
France  had  her  eyes  on  a  piece  down  in  Kwang-sai 
and  Kwang-tung ;   Germany  had  cut  off  a  bit  from 
Shantung;  Italy  was  casting  about  for  an  open  port 
along  the  coasts  while  her  neighbor  on  the  north 
had    practically    taken    possession    of    Manchuria 
without  any  excuse  whatever. 

(2)  The  building  of  railroads,  which  not  only 
led  thousands  to  believe,  tho  wrongly,  that  their 
very  livelihood  was  to    be   destroyed,    but   whicli, 
excited  the  wrath  of  thousands  more  because  the 
graves  of  their    ancestors    were    threatened    with 
desecration.     In  China  the  grave  is  looked  upon  as 
a  most  sacred  possession,  and  on  account  of  many 


36  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

superstitious  beliefs,  a  place  to  be  sacredly  guarded. 
One  may  realize,  therefore,  how  their  feelings  were 
outraged  when  the  story  became  current  that  every 
tie  of  the  railroads  had  to  be  placed  on  the  body  of 
a  little  child  to  make  it  secure.  If  not  this  fabrica 
tion,  then  they  were  told  something  almost  equally 
offensive,  namely:  that  the  graves  in  the  line  of  the 
road  had  to  be  removed  to  make  way  for  the  iron 
horse,  which  would  thus  destroy  the  *"fuqg-shuy" 
i.e.,  wind  and  water  i  <?.,  the  goodlucl:  of  a  place. 

But  again,  it  was  said,  there  was  bold  robbery 
going  on  by  those  in  power  among  their  own  people. 
When  the  land  was  sold,  the  real  property  owners 
saw  very  little  of  the  enormous  sums  that  were  paid 
for  their  lands  on  which  the  railroads  were  to  be 
built.  The  officials  pocketed  the  bulk  of  it,  doling 
out  but  a  small  pittance  to  the  real  owners  of  the 
land. 

All  this  was  maddening, —  and  for  a  very  little 
be  it  noted,  was  the  foreigner  responsible.  It  came 
back  on  them  however  with  terrible  fury,  and  all 
was  laid  at  their  door. 

(3)  There  was  still  another  reason  which 
stands  by  itself,  viz:  the  status  the  Roman  Catholic 
priests  insisted  upon  maintaining  in  the  Chinese 
courts  of  justice,  particularly  when  affairs  of  their 
converts  were  involved. 


*The  belief,  that  spirits  or  genii  rule  over  wind  and  water, 
and  anything  that  interferes  with  these  angers  them,  visiting 
upon  all  transgressors  dire  calamities  in  revenge.  Hence  the 
opposition  to  all  progress  when  wind  and  water  are  concerned. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  37 

In  1899,  thro  the  French  Minister  at  Peking, 
they  had  obtained  the  rank,*  in  proper  succession  of 
Viceroy  and  Taotai,  i.e.^  Governor-general  and 
Intendent  of  Circuit. 

In  passing  it  may  be  noted  that  this  official 
status,  in  order  to  be  fair  to  all,  was  offered  by  the 
Chinese  government  to  all  the  Protestant  missions, 
but  was  politely  declined  by  all  their  missionaries. 

Nothing  but  harm  and  misunderstanding  could 
be  the  outcome  of  such  a  position,  however  good 
the  intentions  may  have  been  on  the  part  of  those 
who  occupied  it.  It  opened  the  door  wide  for 
unprincipled  men  to  seek  entrance  into  the  church 
for  no  other  reason  than  the  hope  of  gaining  some 
selfish  advantage,  and  support  in  the  lawsuits 
that  so  abound  in  China.  No  one-  denies  that  the 
Chinese  Christians  receive  but  little  justice  in  the 
courts,  yet  even  this  cannot  justify  any  missionary 
in  playing  the  role  of  a  judge  in  this  benighted  land. 
Such  position  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any  country, 
and  if  it  had  to  be,  nothing  could  create  greater 
suspicion  and  disorder. 

This  interference  with  political  matters  created 
just  this  suspicion  and  disorder,   and  in  due  time 
brought  its  harvest,  helping  to  increase  the   fury  of 
the  storm  that  swept  over  North  China. 
The  settlement  of  the  Boxer  Movement  in  Amoy. 

When  the  disturbances  occurred  here  the 
American  Reformed  Church  Mission  at  once  con- 

*Rescinded  in  1907. 


38  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

stilted  with  their  Consul.  Not  knowing  to  what 
extent  the  troubles  would  at  that  time  reach,  it  was 
decided  to  place  the  whole  matter  in  his  hands. 
And  he  succeeded  in  securing  a  settlement  on  the 
basis  of : 

1.  Indemnity  for  destruction  of  property. 

2.  The  punishment  of  the  ringleaders. 

The  effort  was  made  to  be  strictly  just  and  fair 
in  the  estimate  of  damages,  desiring  to  err  on  the  side 
of  too  little  rather  than  too  much,  in  order  to  avoid 
any  reproach  being  cast  upon  God's  people.  It  was 
therefore  only  after  most  careful  scrutiny  of  each 
item,  in  consultation  with  native  advisers,  that  the 
claims  were  made.  And  we  have  yet  to  learn  that 
these  estimates  were  in  any  way  unreasonable. 
Since  they  were  more  than  acceded  to,  it  is  proof 
sufficient  that  they  were  not. 

The  following  list  of  estimates  was  prepared 
and  handed  to  the  Consul :  First  of  all  a  value 
of  $3,000  was  placed  on  the  Leng-soa  chapel  in 
case  it  was  not  handed  back ;  then  there  was  some 
building  material  on  the  property  which  was  estimat- 
ed to  be  worth  $500.  The  other  items  were 
classified:  books  $35;  furniture,  etc.,  $594.80; 
building,  $200;  total,  $829.80. 

The  "chapel  and  building  material"  at  Leng- 
soa  were  restored  and  the  sum  of  money  asked  for 
to  cover  other  losses  was  granted  with  $670.20  extra 
to  be  divided  among  the  natives  who  had  suffered 
personal  loss.  The  total  sum  received  was  $1,500. 


39 

The    London    Missionary    Society    also     received 
sufficient  indemnity  to  cover  their  losses. 

Order  was  soon  restored  and  safety  guaranteed 
in  these  disturbed  districts,  and  by  November  1900 
all  the  missionaries  were  back  in  their  country 
stations  at  work  the  same  as  before. 

A  member  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
completed  in  1905  a  journey  of  230  miles  into  the 
interior  from  Amoy,  visiting  the  churches  located 
in  six  different  counties.  He  reported  a  kind  re- 
ception and  a  hearty  welcome  by  both  the  gentry 
and  the  officials.  In  fact  it  seemed  as  though  they 
could  not  do  enough  to  manifest  their  friendliness, 
literally  in  some  instances  showering  upon  him 
presents  of  rice,  fowl,  tea,  etc.  In  the  places 
especially  where  the  riots  occurred  (caused  by  the 
riff-raff  and  not  the  Boxers)  arid  where  the  churches 
or  chapels  have  been  rebuilt  or  restored  by  the 
people,  there  he  found  the  congregations  all  larger 
than  ever.  This  may  be  somewhat  surprising, 
because  it  was  thought  in  some  quarters  that  the 
acceptance  of  such  money  for  rebuilding  or  restoring 
churches  or  chapels  would  antagonize  the  com- 
munities against  the  Gospel  and  lead  them  both  to 
hate  Christianity  and  the  foreigner  more  bitterly 
than  ever,  though  the  Chinese  freely  admitted  the 
justice  of  all  claims.  The  opposite,  however,  seems 
to  have  been  the  result.  The  whole  result  of  the 
trouble  has  been  to  draw  greater  attention  to  the 
Christian  religion,  and  to  make  all  missionary 


40  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

enterprises  more  conspicuous  and  prominent.  Cost- 
ly, therefore,  as  the  loss  may  have  been  by  the 
upheaval  of  1900,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  gain  that  will  surely  follow  in  the  years  to 
come  will  more  than  overbalance  it. 

The  Fanners. 

China  is  undoubtedly  honeycombed  with  secret 
societies,  and  given  the  opportunity  they  are  prepar- 
ed to  make  trouble.  Early  therefore  in  1906  rumors 
were  abroad  of  the  recrudescence  of  Boxerism  in 
the  region  about  Chang-pu  under  the  guidance  of 
a  new  society  which  passed  under  the  name  of  "The 
Fanners."  Members  were  initiated  by  the  old  and 
ridiculous  methods  that  prevailed  in  1900.  By 
swallowing  wads  of  paper  with  Chinese  characters 
written  on  them,  and  by  subjecting  themselves  to 
various  other  equally  absurd  ceremonies  they  were 
made  invulnerable  against  bullets  and  swords. 
Such  is  Chinese  credulity. 

They  became  known  as  "Fanners"  from  the 
fact  that  when  fighting  they  were  always  armed 
with  a  fan  on  which  characters  were  also  inscribed, 
the  meaning  of  which  none  knew  but  themselves. 
They  carried,  as  well,  short  knives,  while  on  their 
foreheads  they  pasted  yellow  paper.  From  the 
latter  they  likewise  claimed  that  they  derived  their 
mysterious  power. 

This  movement  which  at  first  seemed  to  have 
no  special  purpose  in  view  was  not  long  in  discover- 
ing an  outlet  for  its  insane  fanaticsm.  It  came 
about  in  this  manner. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  41 

On  or  about  Feb.  5th,  1906,  some  Catholics  at 
a  village  near  Chang-pu  became  involved  in  trouble 
with  some  natives.  To  settle  the  dispute  they  took 
the  law  in  their  own  hands,  seized  two  men  whom 
they  forthwith  imprisoned.  These  two  men  chanc- 
ed to  be  members  of  the  secret  society,  which  at 
once  aroused  the  anger  not  only  of  the  "Fanners" 
but  of  all  the  rowdies  for  miles  around.  It  proved 
to  be  the  spark  that  started  what  threatened  to  be 
the  wildest  outburst  of  fanaticism  ever  known  in 
tin's  region. 

The  number  of  fanners  and  rowdies  multiplied 
rapidly,  until  there  was  a  mob  of  three  or  four 
hundred  strong  marching  en-masse  on  to  Chang-pu, 
breathing  vengeance  and  bent  on  doing  all  the 
damage  possible  to  the  Catholic  mission  in  the  city. 
But  when  they  reached  the  city,  like  all  mobs, 
passion  recognized  no  bounds  or  distinctions,  and 
so  without  the  slightest  discrimination  they  began 
to  attack  the  mission  property  of  the  English 
Presbyterians.  Before  they  finished  they  had 
burned  down  the  hospital  and  doctor's  house  and 
looted  all  the  other  places — destroying  or  carrying 
off  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  The 
total  loss  (not  including  personal  property)  amount- 
ed to  nearly  $50,000.  Fortunately  all  the  mis- 
sionaries except  Rev.  Mr.  Oldham  were  away 
from  Chang-pu  at  the  time.  Some  had  left  and 
were  down  in  Amoy,  others  were  away  visiting 
neighboring  stations.  Mr.  Oldham  found  a  safe 


42  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

refuge  in  the  yamen  where  he  received  every  cour- 
tesy, attention,  and  protection.  No  lives  were  lost, 
either  natives  or  foreigners. 

The  officials  took  prompt  action.  Twelve  of 
the  leaders,  notwithstanding  their  invulnerability, 
lost  their  heads.  This  with  some  other  heroic  treat- 
ment had  a  most  salutary  effect.  That  was  the 
last  of  the  Fanners.  Since  then  everything  has  been 
calm  and  peaceful. 

The  people  were  again  compelled  to  pay  dear 
for  the  folly,  as  altogether  likely  the  best  part  of 
the  funds  which  were  secured  for  the  restoration  of 
this  property — and  a  great  deal  more — came  out  o£ 
their  own  pockets. 

Guilds. 

There  are  other  societies,  not  necessarily  secret, 
which  may  be  called  guilds.  They  are  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  mutual  protection  in  cases  of  lawsuits 
before  mandarins.  In  some  parts  of  this  district 
each  of  the  four  divisions  of  society :  scholars, 
farmers,  workmen,  and  traders,  it  is  said,  have  their 
own  guilds.  By  contributing  a  certain  sum  of 
money  each  month  the  guild  guarantees  to  manage 
all  cases  which  its  members  may  have  with  the 
officials, — either  defensive  or  offensive. 

11    Foreign  Relations. 

Amoy,  being  one  of  the  natural  entrepots  of 
the  nation,  with  a  harbor  unsurpassed,  was  un- 
doubtedly brought  very  early  to  the  notice  of  the 


1  J 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  43 

world  and  was  known  to  the  traveller  and  merchant 
of  the  West  in  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian 
era. 

Arrival  of  the  Portuguese, 

As  a  commercial  port  Amoy  itself  first  came 
to  notice  about  1516  with  the  arrival  of  the 
Portuguese  who  maintained  a  trade  with  the 
Chinese  for  nearly  fifty  years,  i.e.,  till  1566.  Their 
intercourse  with  the  people  of  this  port  was  con- 
ducted, however,  surreptitiously  on  the  island  of 
Go-su  (y§J|),  [beyond  Chhi-su  (J|  |$)  a  light- 
house station*  in  the  outer  harbor]  as  they  were 
forbidden  by  the  authorities  to  have  any  dealing 
whatsoever  with  the  natives,  or  vice-versa.  It  is 
said  that  when  the  officials  discovered  what  was 
going  on  they  resented  the  offense  by  taking  off  the 
heads  of  ninety  merchants  engaged  in  trade  with 
the  foreigner.  This  undoubtedly  repressed  the 
ardor  of  the  Chinese  merchants  and  they  became 
more  discreet  in  their  operations. 

Arrival  of  the  Spaniards. 

After  the  Portuguese  came  the  Spaniards  from 
Manila  in  15/5.  Notwithstanding  the  fate  of  the 
unfortunate  merchants  mentioned  above,  the 
Spaniards  managed  to  induce  others  to  enter  into 


*There  are  two  others  that  mark  the  approach  to  Amoy. 

First,  there  is  Dodd  Island  Light  about  twenty-six  miles 
to  the  north ;  and  second,  Chapel  Island  Light  about  twenty 
miles  southward.  Taitan  and  Chhi-su  guard  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor. 


44  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

trade  with  them,  and  succeeded  in  building  up  a 
trade  that  required  a  fleet  of  "thirty  or  forty 
junks"  to  carry  the  products  to  Manila.  This 
trade  amounted  to  over  "a  million  and  a  half  gold 
annually."  The  principal  article  handled  was  raw 
silk,  which  was  transhipped  at  Manila  to  Mexico 
where  it  was  used  "to  weave  the  celebrated  fabrics 
so  much  in  vogue  at  that  time." 

Just  why  this  trade  came  to  an  end,  there  are 
no  means  to  discover.  It  may  have  been,  and  pro- 
bably was,  on  account  of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the 
Chinese  Government  against  all  foreign  intercourse. 
— of  which  they  were  well  aware. 

Arrival  of  the  Dutch. 

Then  came  the  Dutch  in  1604,  who  sailed  up 
as  far  as  Haiteng.  But  in  all  their  attempts  up  to 
1662  to  find  a  footing  in  Amoy  they  not  only  failed 
but  succeeded  in  provoking  the  bitterest  opposition. 
However,  after  possessing  themselves  of  Formosa 
in  1624,  they  were  able  to  maintain  a  kind  of  trade 
in  silk  and  sugar,  which  was  conducted  as  secretly 
as  possible  on  the  island  of  Quemoy  (^  Pj).  This 
however  all  came  to  an  end  when  they  were  driven 
from  Formosa  in  1662  by  the  famous  Koxinga. 

The  landing  of  the  Dutch  on  these  shores  ( 1 604 ) 
aroused  the  strongest  opposition  in  this  port.  So 
violent  it  became  that  Admiral  Wybrand  Warwyk 
was  not  able  to  maintain  the  position  he  had  taken 
at  the  Pescadores,  and  accordingly  was  compelled 
to  sail  away. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  45 

Nearly  twenty  years  passed  ere  the  Dutch  were 
again  seen  in  these  waters.  For  it  was  not  until 
1622  that  a  fleet  of  fourteen  vessels  from  Batavia 
arrived  at  the  Pescadores.  Here  they  succeeded  in 
some  way,  by  making'  friends  with  the  Chinese,  in 
opening  up  trade  with  the  mainland,  and  at  the 
same  time  built  a  factory  at  this  port  of  Amoy,  the 
walls  of  which  still  stand  "northward  of  the  Amoy 
Dock."  But  all  trade  and  other  commercial  relations 
ended  abruptly  with  their  expulsion  from  Formosa 
in  1662.* 

•'The  Dutch  not  only  traded  with  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese  from  Formosa,  but  also  sent  their 
ships  to  China  and  Japan  to  deal  directly.  Peter 
Nuits,  the  Dutch  Governor,  in  his  report  of  trade, 
stated  that  silver  was  sent  by  junks  from  Taiwan 
(Formosa)  to  the  mainland  city  of  Amoy,  some- 
times to  be  given  to  merchants  who  remitted  it  to 
their  agents  residing  there ;  sometimes  to  be  given 
to  the  merchants  who  were  to  provide  merchandise 
for  the  markets  of  Japan,  India,  and  Europe.  This 
could  only  be  done  with  the  connivance  of  the 
Governor  of  Foochow,  and  was  very  advantageous, 
for  goods  could  thus  be  obtained  so  as  to  allow  a 
greater  profit  than  those  delivered  at  Taiwan  by 
Chinese  compradores.  Also  when  the  time  arrived 
for  the  departure  from  Taiwan,  if  their  cargoes 


*Native  Customs,  Quinquennial  Reports  and  Returns, 
1902-06.  A  Descriptive  ami  Historical,  and  Statistical  Account 
of  the  Treaty  Port  of  Amoy.  By  C.  A.  V.  Bowra,  Esq.,  Com- 
missioner at  Amoy  1905-1909. 


46  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOV 

were  not  complete,  they  were  sent  across  to  China 
by  stealth,  where  they  were  filled  up  with  goods, 
which  were  brought  on  board  in  great  quantities 
and  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  they  could  be  bought  in 
Taiwan,  the  difference  in  the  price  of  silk  alone 
being  some  eight  or  ten  taelsj  per  piculf  If  time 
allowed,  these  vessels  returned  to  Taiwan,  other- 
wise they  were  sent  direct  to  their  destinations. 
The  principal  exports  were  raw  silk  and  sugar  to 
Japan, — the  amount  of  the  latter  being  as  much  as 
80,000  piculs  in  one  year ;  silk  piece  goods,  porcelain, 
and  gold  to  Batavia,  while  paper,  spices,  amber,- 
tin,  lead,  and  cotton  were  imported  to  Formosa, 
and,  with  the  addition  of  Formosan  products  such  as 
sugar,  rice,  rattans,  deer-skins,  deer-horns,  and 
drugs,  were  exported  to  China."  * 

Arrival  of  the  English. 

After  the  Dutch  had  been  driven  out  of 
Formosa  (1662)  the  East  India  Company  took  the 
opportunity,  and  succeeded  in  opening  up  trade 
with  the  "King  of  Taiwan.''  They  also  built  a 
factory  at  Ainoy,  which  proved  a  fairly  good  in- 
vestment. 

The  first  English  vessel  to  arrive  in  Amoy  in 
1670  (June  23rd)  was  the  "Bantam  Pink''  ac- 
companied by  the  sloop  "Pearl."  "The  trade  in 


£{1.50  tnex. 


•Davidson:  Island  of  Formosa.  Quoted  from  Qttinquenuia 
Reports,  etc. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  47 

Amoy  was  more  successful  than  at  Zealandia 
(Formosa),  and  a  small  vessel  was  sent  there  in 
1677,  which  brought  back  a  favorable  report.  In 
1676  the  investments  for  these  two  places  were 
$30,000  in  buillion  and  $20,000  in  goods.  The 
returns  were  chiefly  in  silk  goods,  etc.  The  trade 
was  continued  for  several  years,  apparently  with 
considerable  profit,  tho  the  Manchus  continually  in- 
creased the  restrictions  under  which  it  labored.  In 
1 68 1  the  company  ordered  their  factories  in  Amoy 
and  Formosa  to  be  withdrawn,  and  established 
them  at  Canton  and  Foochow,  but  in  1685  trade 
was  renewed  at  Amoy.  In  1701  the  investment  for 
Amoy  was  ^34,000.  In  1734  only  one  English  ship 
came"  to  Canton,  and  one  was  sent  to  Amoy,  but 
the  extortions  were  greater  there  than  at  the  other 
port,  whereupon  the  latter  vessel  withdrew .... 
The  "Harwicke"  was  sent  to  Amoy  in  1744  and 
obliged  to  return  without  a  cargo."  * 

The  only  local  records  of  these  early  traders 
are  the  tombstones  on  Kolongsu  which  mark  their 
last  resting  place.  Recently  (1905)  they  were 
taken  up  and  placed  in  the  Foreign  Cemetery.  On 
their  tombstones  are  these  dates  1698,  1700,  and 
1710.  Even  tradition  has  failed  to  leave  any  trace 
of  the  site  of  the  English  factory. 

About  1730  foreign  trade  became  almost,  if 
not  entirely,  centered  at  Canton  "and  only  Spanish 
ships  were  permitted  to  trade  at  Amoy.  But  trade 

*  Williams  Middle  Kingdom.    Vol.  IT,  Page  445. 


48  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

no  doubt  went  on  intermittently  and  clandestinely, 
and  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
reccived  an  impetus  from  the  sudden  growth  of  the 
opium  traffic.  Matters  were  not  on  a  regular  basis 
however  until  the  whole  question  of  foreign  trade 
in  China  came  to  a  head  in  the  so-called  Opium 
War  of  1841,  in  which  Amoy  soon  figured  as  a 
scene  of  hostility."  * 

The  final  act  in  the  drama,  that  had  been 
played  for  three  hundred  years  occurred  when  the 
British  fleet,  composed  of  thirty-eight  vessels, 
t  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Amoy  in  August  1841. 

Seven  of  these  carried  a  detachment  of  the  49th 
and  the  whole  of  the  i8th  regiments,  eight  others 
carried  a  detachment  of  the  26th,  and  the  55th  entire 
with  the  Engineers  and  Artillery,  the  remaining  six 
carried  provisions.  ( There  will  be  occasion  to  say 
more  about  this  fleet  in  the  next  chapter). 

Seventy  years  have  passed  since  that  epoch- 
making  event.  Great  changes  have  been  wrought 
in  this  empire.  China  has  by  no  means  been  the 
loser.  Indeed  she  has  gained  much  of  inestimable 
value  by  throwing  open  her  doors  to  western  com- 
merce, education,  and  Christianity. 

The  Visit  of  the  American  Battleship  Fleet. 

It  will  now  be  in  order  to  give  an  account  of 
the  visit  of  another  fleet  of  Western  battleships, 
which  came  not  on  a  work  of  destruction  but  rather 


*Mayer :    Treaty  Ports,   China  and  Japan.     Quoted  from 
Quinquennial  Reports,  etc. 

fChiuese  Repository.     Vol.  X.  Page  524. 


HONGKONG  AND, 'SHANGHAI  BANK 


TUNG-WEN  INSTITUTE,  AMOY. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  49 

upon  a  mission  of  peace  and  friendship  and  not  at 
their  own  bidding  but  at  the  invitation  of  a  friendly 
Power, — symbolic  of  the  dawn  of  a  new  day  in 
China's  relation  with  the  nations  of  the  West. 

On  December  i6th,  1907,  one  ot  the  finest, 
best  equipped,  and  largest  battleship  fleets  that  had 
ever  been  assembled  in  American  waters,  left 
Hampton  Roads,  Va.,  U.  S.  A.,  on  its  memorable 
world-wide  cruise,  which  has  evoked  universal 
admiration  and  applause. 

The  fleet  was  composed  of  the  following 
vessels: — Connecticut  (Flagship,  Rear  Admiral 
R.  D.  Evans),  Kansas,  Vermont,  Louisiana,  Georgia, 
New  Jersey,  Rhode  Island,  Virginia,  Minnesota, 
Ohio,  Missouri,  Maine,  Alabama,  Illinois,  Kearsage 
and  Kentucky. 

Early  in  February  these  ships  passed  from 
ocean  to  ocean  thru  the  famous  Straits  of  Magellan 
in  perfect  safety,  and  so  on  up  to  San  Francisco, 
where  the  fleet  arrived  about  the  middle  of  March 
after  having  completed  one  of  the  longest  voyages 
ever  made  by  a  battleship  fleet. 

The  part  of  the  fleet  *visiting  Amoy  was 
composed  of  the  third  and  fourth  divisions  of  the 
second  squadron,  viz  : — 

Rear  Admiral  William  H.  Emory,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Commanding  Second  Squadron  and  Third  Division. 

Irouisiana  (Flagship)  Capt.  Kossuth  Niles,  Commanding.  16000  tons 

Virginia  Capt.  Alex.  Sharp,  Commanding.  14948     ,, 

Missouri  Capt.  R.  M.  Doyle,  Commanding.  12500      „ 

Ohio  Capt.  T.  B.  Howard,  Commanding.  12500     ,, 

*The  other  vessels  went  to  Manila. 


50  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Rear  Admiral  Seaton  Schroeder,  U.  S.  Navy, 
Commander,  Fourth  Division. 

Wisconsin  (Flagship)  Capt.  F.  E.  Beatty,  Commanding.  11552  tons. 

Kearsage.  Capt.  Hamilton  Hutchins,  Commanding.  11525      ,, 

Kentucky.  Capt.  \V.  C.  Cowles,  Commanding.  11525      ., 

Illinois.  Capt.  J.  M.  Bowyer,  Commanding.  11525      ,, 

The  fleet  reached  Amoy  on  Friday  morning 
about  9  o'clock,  Oct.  3Oth,  1908  a  day  later  than  at 
first  announced  because  of  bad  weather  experienced 
on  the  way  from  Manila  to  Japan.  The  ships  were 
soon  anchored  in  double  line  in  the  outer  harbor, 
taking  up  their  position  in  the  order  indicated.  Just 
beyond  them,  as  a  guard  of  honor,  lay  the  Chinese 
cruisers :  Hai-chi,  Hai-yung,  Hai-shen,  Hai-chew, 
Fei-ying  and  Tung-chi ;  the  gunboats :  Yuen-kai 
Fuh-an,  and  the  Revenue  cutter  Ping-ching,  under 
command  of  Amiral  Sah. 

The  U.  S.  N.  collier  "Alexandra"'  and  the 
Supply  Ship  "Colgoa"  were  here  when  the  fleet 
arrived  to  furnish  coal  and  provisions. 

Each  one  of  the  American  battleships  carried 
from  seven  to  nine  hundred  men,  making  a  total 
of  something  like  seven  thousand  officers  and  Blue 
Jackets,  a  large  number  to  be  entertained  at  such  a 
small  place  as  Amoy.  Be  it  said  to  her  praise 
every  demand  was  fully  met,  and  a  program  most 
admirably  arranged  was  carried  out  to  a  most  happy 
and  successful  termination.  That  all  the  efforts 
made  to  entertain  the  fleet  were  appreciated  was 
evident  on  all  sides. 

Just  why  Amoy  was  chosen  for  this  high  honor 
by  the  Imperial  Government  of  China  to  entertain 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  51 

this  fleet  was  not  announced.  Quite  likely  it  was 
because  of  the  splendid  harbor  accommodation 
which  this  place  affords.  Certainly  none  better  or 
more  commodious  could  have  been  selected. 

That  the  Chinese  as  a  nation  took  the  keenest 
interest  in  this  whole-hearted  demonstration  of  good 
will  and  good  feeling  towards  the  United  States  of 
America,  and  intended  that  the  reception  should  be 
a  national  and  not  a  local  affair,  was  not  alone 
manifested  by  the  magificent  money  appropriation, 
but  by  the  men  who  were  sent  here  as  representatives 
of  the  Imperial  Government  to  receive  and  entertain, 
the  fleet.  The  following  is  a  list  of  these  high 
dignitaries. 

1 .  His  Imperial  Highness  Prince  Yu  Lang. 

2.  His  Excellency  Sung  Shou,  Viceroy  of  the 
Min-Che  Provinces. 

3.  His    Excellency  Liang    Tung    Yen,    Vice- 
President  of  the  Foreign  Board,  Peking. 

4.  Rear   Admiral  Sah    Chen-Ping,    I.   C.   N., 
Commander  Pei-yang  and  Nan-yang  Squadrons. 

5.  Major  General  Hung  Yung  An,  I.  C.  A.,  in 
command  of  Fukien  Division. 

6.  His  Excellency  Shang  Ch'i  Heng,  Provincial 
Treasurer,  Fukien. 

7.  General  Sung  Tao   Jin,   in    Command   of 
Tenth  Division  I.  C.  A. 

8.  Honorable  Ch'ien  Yu   Taotai   and   special 
Commissioner   appointed   by    the   Foreign   Board, 
Peking. 


52  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

9.  Honorable  Dr.  George  Mark,  Graduate  of 
Tientsin  Medical  School  (Mai  Hsin  Ch'ien)  Taotai 
and  special  Commissioner  appointed  by  the  Foreign 
Board,  Peking. 

10.  Honorable  Liu  Ching  Fen,  Taotai,  Amoy. 

11.  Honorable  Chen  Sh'i  Chu,  of  the  Staff  of 
H.  I.  H.  Prince  Lang. 

12.  Honorable  Tang  Kuo  An,   Interpreter  to 
H.  I.  H.  Prince  Lang. 

13.  Honorable  Taotai  Tso,   commissioned  by 
His  Excellency  Tuan  Fong,  Viceroy,  Liang-Kiang 
"Provinces. 

14.  Honorable  Taotai  Li,  commissioned  by  His 
Excellency    Tuan     Fong,     Viceroy,     Liang-Kiang 
Provinces. 

15.  Honorable  Taotai  Wong,  commissioned  by 
His  Excellency  Tuan  Fong,  Viceroy,  Liang-Kiang 
Provinces. 

1 6.  Honorable  Lu  Ching  Ko,  Taotai. 

17.  Colonel  Hsieh  Tang  Fu,  1.  C.  A.,  Amoy. 

1 8.  Honorable  Kuan  Yuan  Shan,  Taotai,  Staff 
of  H.  E.  Sung,  Viceroy  of  Min-Che  Provinces. 

19.  Honorable  Cheng  Hung  Shou,  Prefect  and 
Superintendent  Likin  Office,  Amoy. 

20.  Honorable   Lai   Hui    Huan,    Prefect   and 
Director,  Military  Police,  Foochow. 

21.  Honorable  Ch'en  Lu  I,   Sub-Prefect   and 
Acting  Marine  Sub-Perfect  of  Foochow. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  53 

22.  Honorable  Niu  Ch'ing  Fan,  Acting  Sub- 
Prefect  of  Amoy. 

23.  Honorable  Chih  Heng  Kung,  Sub-Prefect, 
Staff   H.   E.   Sung    Chou,    Viceroy    of    Min-Che 
Provinces. 

24.  Honorable  Weng  Li  Te,  Sub-Prefect  and 
Director  of  Native  Customs. 

25.  Honorable   Tung   Ting   Jui,    Sub-Prefect 
and  Magistrate  of  the  Mixed  Court,  Kolongsu. 

26.  Honorable  I  Chien,  Magistrate  of  Tong-an 
District. 

27.  Honorable  Wu  Ch'i  Chun,  Circuit  Judge 
of  Amoy. 

For  months  before  the  arrival  of  the  Fleet 
preparations  were  begun  and  carried  out  on  a  grand 
scale  to  give  a  fitting  welcome  to  the  distinguished 
guests  of  the  U.  S.  Navy.  For  this  purpose  the 
Chinese  government  expended  something  like  a 
million  dollars.  That  all  the  plans  were  successfully 
consummated  was  due  in  a  large  measure  to  the 
executive  ability  of  Commissioner  Dr.  George  Mark. 
His  indefatigable  and  untiring  energy,  and  his 
power  of  grasping  and  mastering  details,  so  necessary 
under  such  circumstances,  wrought  wonders  in  spite 
of  some  very  unexpected  difficulties.  To  our  Amer- 
ican Consul,  Honorable  Julian  H.  Arnold,  much 
credit  and  praise  is  also  due.  He  gave  a  great  deal 
of  time,  thought  and  counsel  to  the  work  of  pre- 
paration, and  in  getting  out  the  beautiful  Souvenir 
Programs,  and  to  other  features  of  the  entertainment 


54  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

innumerable.  His  was  no  light  task,  but  it  was 
performed  with  commendable  dignity,  and  satisfac- 
tion. 

The  Parade  Ground  over  on  the  Atnoy  side, 
covering  several  acres,  near  Lam-pho-to  temple  was 
selected  for  the  place  of  receiving  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  Fleet.  Here  some  fifteen  buildings 
and  arches  were  constructed  in  the  form  of  a  circle. 
These  with  their  gorgeous  decorations  of  more 
than  ten  thousand  flags,  and  flowers,  and  electricity 
by  night,  made  a  picture  that  beggars  description. 
Among  these  buildings  was  one  large  pavilion  two 
hundred  feet  in  length,  and  one  hundred  feet  in 
width,  where  the  public  receptions,  dinners,  and 
other  entertainments  for  the  officers  of  the  fleet 
took  place.  The  interior  of  this  palatial  edifice  was 
most  profusely  decorated.  Five  thousand  taels 
worth  of  China's  choicest  silk  gracefully  festooned 
the  ceiling.  Flowers  and  plants,  dwarfed  trees  and 
other  trees  trained  in  fantastic  shapes,  some 
representing  flower-boats,  deer,  men.  and  pagodas 
were  placed  all  around  this  room.  Some  of  these 
plants  were  over  three  hundred  years  old  and  were 
valued  at  fifty  thousand  taels.  One  end  of  the  room 
was  richly  furnished  with  beautiful  inlaid  black  wood 
tables  and  chairs,  resplendent  silk  hangings  and 
screens,  etc.  The  whole  effect  was  exceedingly 
rich  and  elegant. 

There  were  ten  buildings  (made  of  bamboo 
and  matting),  each  with  table  accommodations  for 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  55 

three  hundred  and  fifty  men  where  tiffin  and  dinner 
were  served  to  the  men  of  the  fleet.  Usually  about 
three  thousand  were  allowed  ashore  each  day. 
This  number  therefore  was  given  free  of  all  charge 
first-class  meals  at  midday  and  at  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening. 

Here  an  elaborated  program  of  entertainment 
was  successfully  carried  out,  which  consisted  of 
official  visits,  receptions,  luncheons,  and  dinners; 
also  baseball  football  and  other  field  sports ;  pre- 
sentation of  prizes  etc.  Among  the  prizes  were  two 
golden  cups,  each  valued  at  $2.500  Mex. 

In  addition  to  these  there  was  a  beautiful 
Loving  Cup  which  however  was  presented  later  to 
the  officers  and  crews  of  the  Chinese  Navy  by 
Admiral  Hubbard  during  a  visit  to  this  port  on  the 
i$th  of  April  1910.  with  the  "  Charleston,"  "Cleve- 
land," "Chattanooga"  and  others.  By  pre-arrange- 
ment  Admiral  P.  K.  Ching  of  the  Chinese  navy  was 
in  port  with  the  "Hai-chi"  and  "Hai-shen."  The 
Cup  of  solid  sterling  silver  and  of  beautiful  execu- 
tion, was  made  in  Philadelphia  U.  S.  A.  It  stands 
about  eighteen  inches  high  and  is  something  like 
fourteen  inches  in  diameter.  All  round  the  outside 
are  miniature  designs  in  gold  relief  of  the  eight  battle- 
ships that  visited  Amoy  in  1908.  The  inscription, 
both  in  Chinese  and  English,  was  as  follows : — 

To  the  Officers  and  Crews  of  the  Chinese  Navy, 

In  Recognition  of  their  Courtesy  and  Hospit- 
ality. Amoy  1908. 


56  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

At  the  entrance  of  the  grounds  and  elsewhere 
there  were  lofty  towers;  one  was  100  feet  high  by 
175  feet  wide  handsomely  decorated  with  bunting 
and  the  flags  of  the  two  nations.  At  night  these 
towers  and  other  buildings  were  illuminated  with 
thousands  of  colored  electric  lights  in  yellow,  red, 
white  and  blue.  These  illuminations,  with  the  ships 
in  the  harbor,  which  were  always  illuminated  from 
seven  till  ten  P.  M.  afforded  a  sight  of  magnificent 
splendor,  which  could  only  be  fully  appreciated  by 
being  seen. 

In  the  center  of  the  circular  chain  of  build- 
ings,— nearest  the  pavilion  and  the  grandstand, 
were  the  football  and  baseball  fields,  and  fields  for 
other  sports.  A  good  wide  road  led  from  the  jetty 
(wharf)  to  the  grounds  and  on  up  to  Lam-pho-to 
temple.  Carriages  and  horses  were  brought  from 
Shanghai.  Transportation  was  free  to  the  visitors. 
The  entire  length  of  this  road  was  lighted  by 
electricity  at  night. 

On  the  1 5th  of  October  a  most  distressing 
calamity  befell  the  work  of  preparation,  as  on  that 
date  the  worst  storm  that  Amoy  had  experienced  in 
twenty  years  broke  over  this  place  and  vicinity, 
leaving  many  ruined  houses  and  much  desolation 
in  its  path.  All  the  buildings,  excepting  the 
pavilion,  which  had  occupied  weeks  in  construct- 
ing, were  completely  demolished  and  levelled  to 
the  ground  in  shapeless  masses  of  ruins,  while  the 
whole  place  was  flooded  with  water  six  feet  deep. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  57 

The  electric  plant  was  consequently  put  out  of 
commission,  and  at  one  time  it  looked  as  tho  there 
would  be  no  illumination  by  electricity.  All  the 
dynamos  had  to  be  unwound  and  rewound  before 
they  could  be  made  to  work.  Fortunately  the 
German  Cruiser  "Niobe"  was  in  port  with  some 
expert  electricians  on  board  who  assisted  in 
straightening  matters  out.  With  this  assistance 
everything  connected  with  the  plant  was  placed  in 
working  order  a  day  before  the  fleet  arrived.  Dr. 
Mark,  who  had  full  charge  of  these  preparations, 
and  his  assistants,  showed  some  good  old  Anglo- 
Saxon  pluck  by  setting  to  work  at  once  restoring  the 
ruins,  tho  less  than  two  weeks  intervened  before 
the  date  of  the  arrival  of  the  ships.  It  meant  a 
great  deal  of  hustling,  which  is  no  easy  matter  to 
secure  in  the  East.  Fortunately  it  is  possible  to 
secure  numbers  of  workers  if  not  a  vast  amount  of 
hustling.  So  the  force  was  doubled,  more  material 
secured,  and  the  work  rushed  night  and  day,  and 
by  the  time  the  fleet  arrived  all  was  ready.  This 
catastrophe  cost  the  government  about  $200,000 
Mex. 

Those  who  knew  the  port  wondered  how  Dr. 
Mark  could  make  such  suitable  arrangements. 
The  beauty,  grandeur,  and  completeness  surpassed 
all  expectations.  The  comfort  of  the  officers  and 
men  was  complete  in  every  detail.  It  was  re- 
marked, that  frequently  in  other  places  where  the 
fleet  had  visited,  a  man  would  willingly  give  up 


58  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

his  opportunity  of  going  ashore  to  some  one  else 
who  was  more  desirous  to  do  so  than  himself,  but 
here  no  one  was  willing  to  miss  the  opportunity  of 
going  ashore.  This  was  probably  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  Reception  Committee  took  it  in  hand  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of 
the  enlisted  men  of  the  fleet  as  well  as  for  the 
officers.  This  was  a  marked  and  most  pleasing 
feature  of  the  visit  and  it  was  fully  appreciated. 

On  Thursday  morning,  Nov.  5th,  punctually 
at  eight  o'clock,  the  fleet  began  preparations  for 
departure.  The  ships,  led  by  the  "Fei-ying"  were 
soon  in  line  steaming  away  southward.  The  nearby 
hills  were  thronged  with  people  all  anxious  to  join 
in  bidding  the  visitors  a  hearty  farewell.  The 
demonstration  was  a  rousing  one,  in  marked  con- 
trast with  that  shown  on  their  arrival,  when  much 
apathy  was  manifest.  Europeans  and  other  nationals 
too  were  more  or  less  distrustful  of  so  many  sailors 
being  landed,  but  before  they  left  only  words  of 
commendation  and  praise  \vere  heard.  This  was 
due  to  the  appearance  and  good  conduct  of  the 
men,  who,  instead  of  spending  their  time  carousing 
and  drinking,  were  found  buying  presents  or 
occupied  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  tent  writing  letters 
home  to  their  mothers,  sisters  and  sweethearts. 
Chinese  Admiral  Sah  uttered  these  words  in  praise 
of  the  men:  "The  men  of  the  fleet,  whether  in 
sport  or  otherwise,  have  shown  a  most  praiseworthy 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  59 

esprit  de  corps,  and  their  conduct  has  been  exem- 
plary in  every  respect."  This  was  the  reason  for 
their  changed  attitude  as  witnessed  in  the  demonstra- 
tions when  they  were  bidden  farewell. 

Salutes  were  exchanged  by  the  forts  and  the 
ships,  while  the  firing  of  crackers  continued  for  an 
hour.  Three  rousing  cheers  were  given  by  the 
crew  of  each  ship  as  it  glided  into  position.  From 
the  flagstaff  in  the  fort  floated  proudly  the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

At  the  farewell  dinner  given  on  Wednesday 
evening  to  the  Commanding  Officers  and  Midship- 
men Rear  Admiral  Emory  in  responding  to  a  toast 
said  in  part:  "The  fleet  has  everywhere  received  a 
most  friendly  reception,  but  nowhere  more  friendly 
than  in  China.  The  men  have  greatly  appreciated 
the  attention  shown  them,  which  has  been  greater 
here  than  elsewhere,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
Australia  where  the  people  were  of  the  same  race. 
All  officers  and  men  feel  highly  honored  by  the 
entertainments  presided  over  by  His  Imperial  High- 
ness, Prince  Yu,  and  have  been  deeply  impressed 
by  his  personal  interest  in  every  detail,  and  presence 
at  all  functions." 

To  commemorate  this  notable  event,  there 
has  been  engraved  on  the  rocks  near  Nan-P'u- 
T'o  temple  (Lam-Pho-to)  the  following  Chinese 
characters : — 


6o 


HISTORICAL  AMOY 


H    * 


&  He 

m  « 

iffl   N 
£  ^ 


M  ^1 


t. 
I 

H 


js  m  a 


W. 


m 


m  m  ft 


* 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  61 

Translation  of  Inscription  Engraved  in 

Chinese  on  one  of  the  Rocks  at 

Nan  P'u  T'o  Temple  Amoy. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  the  loth  moon  of  the 
thirty-fourth  year  of  Kwang  Hsu  (October  30, 
1908)  Admiral  Emory  with  the  U.  S.  Flagship 
"Louisiana"  and  the  "Virginia,"  the  "Ohio,"  and 
the  "Missouri,"  and  Admiral  Shroeder,  with  the 
U.  S.  Flagship  "Wisconsin"  and  the  "Kentucky," 
the  "Kearsage,"  and  the  "Illinois,"  visited  Amoy. 
To  welcome  them,  the  Imperial  Chinese  Govern- 
ment especially  detailed  H.  I.  H.  Prince  Yu  Lang, 
Their  Excellencies  Liang  Tung  Yen,  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  Wai-wu  Pu,  Peking,  Sung  Shou,  the 
Viceroy  of  the  Min-che  Provinces,  Shang  Chi  Heng, 
the  Provincial  Treasurer  of  Fukien,  and  Admiral 
Sah  Chen  Ping  of  the  Imperial  Chinese  Navy  com- 
manding the  "Hai  Chi,"  the  "Hai  Yung,"  the  "Hai 
Chew"  and  the  "Hai  Shen,"  who,  together  with 
the  Local  Authorities  and  Gentry  of  Amoy,  in  order 
to  further  the  friendly  relations  existing  between 
China  and  the  United  States  of  America,  tendered 
a  reception  to  the  American  Fleet  at  the  Parade 
Grounds  and  the  Nan  P'u  T'o  Temple.  This 
incident  is  worthy  to  be  counted  as  one  of  the 
world's  noted  events. 

Although  we  regretted  that  we  had  not  acquit- 
ted ourselves  well,  as  hosts,  yet  Admiral  Hubbard 
commanding  the  U.  S.  Asiatic  Fleet  came  to  Amoy 

*Mr.  Lim,  clerk  in  the  American  Consulate. 


62  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

April  1 5th,  1910,  with  the  Flagship  "Charleston" 
and  the  "Cleveland,"  the  "Chattanooga,"  the 
"Helena"  and  the  "  Villalobos,"  and  kindly  present- 
ed to  our  Imperial  Navy  a  loving  cup  as  a  token  of 
the  American  Navy's  appreciation  of  the  reception 
tendered  them  in  the  year  1908  and  as  a  souvenir 
for  our  Imperial  Chinese  Navy. 

To  receive  this  cup,  our  Imperial  Chinese  Navy 
despatched  to  Amoy  Admiral  P.  K.  Ching  with  the 
"Hai  Chi"  and  the  "Hai  Shen." 

We,  the  Officials,  Gentry  and  Merchants,  sin- 
cerely hope  that  with  this  exchange  of  courtesies, 
the  friendship  and  good  will  between  the  two  coun- 
tries may  ever  increase.  Hence  to  preserve  a 
memory  of  this  event,  this  inscription  is  engraved. 

f  Ti  T'ai  Hung  Yung  An. 
0~ ' .  V  I  Tao  T'ai  Huo  Tao  Chih. 
°fficmls  Colonel  T'sai  Kuo  Hsi. 

[  Sub-Prefect  Jung  Ting  Jui- 
f  Francisco  Yap  Tico. 
Gentry  and    I  Lin  Erh  Chia. 
Merchants   j  Fu  Cheng. 

I  Hung  Hung  Ju. 

Visit  of  the  American  Commercial 
Commissioners. 

Two  years  after  the  visit  of  this  fleet  to  Amoy, 
there  arrived  in  this  port  on  October  1910  a  com- 
pany of  Honorary  Commercial  Commissioners 
representing  the  Associated  Chambers  of  Commerce 
of  the  Pacific  Coast  and  Honolulu. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  63 

They  were  warmly  welcomed  and  entertained 
by  the  Amoy  Chamber  of  Commerce.  A  well 
arranged  program  covering  the  time  they  were  here, 
i.e,  about  ten  hours,  was  admirably  carried  out. 

At  one  o'clock  a  banquet  was  given  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  to  the  visitors  and  invited 
guests,  on  the  verandah  of  Nan-p'u-t'o  temple  which 
was  profusely  decorated  with  the  flags  of  the  two 
nations  and  artificial  flowers.  The  Menu  cards, 
beautifully  designed,  contained  more  than  a  list  of 
the  good  things  to  be  eaten.  On  the  front  cover 
were  the  Chinese  and  American  flags  crossed  and 
bound  together  by  a  lover's  knot.  In  the  inside  was 
the  Menu  both  in  Chinese  and  English.  On  the 
back  cover  was  a  copy  of  the  Chinese  inscription 
engraved  on  the  rocks  near  by,  which  commemorates 
the  visit  of  the  American  Battleship  Fleet  to  this 
port  in  1908.  Enclosed  within  the  card  was  a 
translation  of  this  inscription  and  a  history  of 
Nan-P'u-T'o  temple. 

The  banquet  was  enlivened  by  toasts  and  some 
excellent  speeches.  Toasts  were  proposed  and  drank 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Emperor  of  China.  Addresses  were  made  by  the 
Tautai  and  Mr.  Choa  Teh-kee,  and  by  President 
Willis  H.  Booth  and  Mr.  Furth. 

In  the  afternoon  an  informal  reception  was 
held  on  the  public  lawn  on  Kulangsu,  and  by  six 
o'clock  they  were  away  Southward  on  the  China 


64  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Merchant's  S/S  "Hsin-Ming"  which  that  Company 
had  placed  at  their  disposal  down  the  coast  from 
Tientsin  to  Hongkong. 

The  party  consisted  of  a  fine  body  of  business 
men,  bankers,  manufacturers  and  merchants ; 
accompanied  by  their  wives ;  representatives  of 
mining  lumber  and  steel  companies;  lawyers  and 
editors.  One  of  their  objects  in  coming  to 
China  was  to  create  a  more  friendly  relation 
between  the  two  countries.  This  apparently  has 
been  admirably  accomplished.  To  study  the  pro- 
blems of  trade,  and  especially  to  increase  commer- 
cial relations  between  China  and  the  United  States 
was  their  second  object.  This  too  gives  every 
promise  of  full  realization  in  the  near  future. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  they  won  the 
esteem  and  goodwill,  not  alone  of  their  hosts  and 
the  business  men  of  this  port,  but  of  all  the  ports 
and  places  where  they  visited.  In  every  place  most 
elaborate  preparations  were  made  to  receive  them, 
while  officials  and  gentry  vied  with  each  other  to  do 
them  honor.  Everywhere  they  were  entertained  in 
a  very  sumptuous  manner,  even  royalty  could  not 
have  been  accorded  more  respect. 

At  Peking  they  were  received  in  Imperial 
audience  by  the  Prince  Regent. 

To  commemorate  their  visit  to  Amoy  there  has 
been  chisselled  on  the  rocks  near  Nan-p'u-t'o  temple 
the  following  inscription  : — 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


.a 


Sc 


it 


W    M 


t 

-t 
H 


6 


a    ± 


* 


ft 


a: 


^ 
pi 


HX 


Ifi 


.a 


66  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Translation  of  the  Inscription. 

Twenty-five  representatives  of  the  Chambers 
of  Commerce  of  the  Pacific  Coast  States  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  men  of  great  wealth, 
and  business  experience,  famed  the  world  over  as 
great  merchants,  on  their  tour  of  investigation  to 
China  are  this  day  visiting  Amoy. 

In  consideration  of  the  fact  that  business  in- 
terests in  Manila  are  under  America's  beneficent 
protection,  my  humble  self  and  other  Manila  mer- 
chants, whose  homes  are  in  Amoy,  together  with  the 
members  of  the  Amoy  Chamber  of  Commerce,  have 
had  a  hall  set  aside  and  decorated  at  Nan-p'u-t'o 
Temple  for  the  purpose  of  a  reception.  In  response 
to  our  invitation  the  local  officials  are  joining  us  in 
this  reception.  A  notable  company  is  thus  assem- 
bled at  the  banquet  being  given  upon  this  occasion 
and  friendly  intercourse  exchanged. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Honorable  Julian  H. 
Arnold,  the  American  Consul,  who  is  acting  as 
intermediary  in  introducing  us  to  our  guests,  there- 
by doubling  the  friendly  feeling  prevailing  among 
us.  This  certainly  is  an  auspicious  event. 

This  inscription  I  have  caused  to  be  carved  on 
this  rock  in  order  to  commemorate  this  occasion. 

Done  this  i7th  day  of  the  gih  Moon  of  the 
2nd  Year  of  His  Imperial  Majesty  Plsuan  Tung 
(Oct  1 9th  1910.) 

Mr.  Yap  Ti-co  of  Amoy  begs  all  kindly  to  take 
note. 


HISTORICAL  AMOY  67 

In  the  words  of  President  Willis  H.  Booth,  in 
accepting  this  another  mark  of  their  goodwill,  we 
say : — May  the  friendship  expressed  in  this  inscrip- 
tion outlast  the  rocks  on  which  these  words  are 
written. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  DOOR  OF  AMOY  OPENED. 

Such  an  event  as  the  opening  of  this  port,  and 
other  ports  in  China,  for  residence  and  commerce, 
is  worthy  of  further  consideration  than  has  been 
given  to  it  in  the  preceeding  chapter.  Hence  this 
chapter  will  be  devoted  to  this  topic. 

For  many  years  China  was  nothing  more  than 
a  hermit  Kingdom.  She  shut  herself  off  entirely 
from  the  outside  "barbaric"  world.  Her  walls 
were  high  and  strong,  and  every  door  hermetically 
sealed  against  all  intrusion  of  the  foreigner,  mer- 
chant or  missionary. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  the  mission- 
aries Morrison,  Milne,  Bridgman  and  Abeel  began 
knocking  at  the  barricaded  gates  of  the  Empire  for 
admission  to  preach  the  everlasting  riches  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  for  years  they  were 
obliged  to  confine  their  labors  to  the  suburbs  of 
Canton  and  the  island  of  Macao  or  Java  and  Borneo, 
and  the  bleak  and  rocky  coast  of  the  Empire.  In 
no  other  places  in  the  vast  nation  were  foreigners 
tolerated. 

This  seclusion  was  persistently  maintained  until 
the  year  1840. 

We  can  only  rapidly  glance  over  a  few  matters 
of  history  to  show  how  this  seclusion  was  finally 
overcome. 


70  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

After  the  expiration  of  the  privilege  granted 
by  charter  to  the  East  India  Company  in  1834, 
and  by  which  they  had  enjoyed  a  monopoly  for 
nearly  two  centuries  in  carrying  on  trade  at  Macao 
and  Canton,  the  English  Government  sought  to 
renew  these  commercial  relations  in  such  a  manner 
that  all  British  merchants  might  have  a  share  of 
the  trade  with  the  Chinese  people. 

To  this  end  the  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Napier  was 
sent  to  China  to  commence  negotiations  for  main- 
taining trade  on  a  ''proper  footing."  He  arrived 
in  Macao,  July  15th,  1834,  but  his  mission  proved 
a  failure.  Others  followed  him,  yet  it  was  not 
until  April  I2th,  1837,  that  England  was  granted 
the  privileges  she  sought. 

At  this  time  trade  was  largely  confined  to  traffic 
in  opium,  brought  here  in  the  first  instance  probably 
by  Arab  traders  hundreds  of  years  before,  every 
picul  of  which  was  smuggled  in.  So  lucrative  had 
the  business  become  that  Chinese  as  well  as  foreigners 
were  eager  for  the  extension  of  its  consumption, 
hence  steps  were  taken  to  legalize  its  sale  and  use. 
The  point  at  issue  therefore  in  1840-2  was  not  so 
much  the  introduction  of  opium  as  a  question  of 
legalizing  its  use  in  the  empire,  or  of  making  its 
sale  a  legitimate  business. 

There  were  many  however,  who  had  the  welfare 
of  the  nation  at  heart,  who  fought  to  the  end  both 
against  its  further  introduction  and  its  unrestricted 
use  in  the  broad  land.  From  the  very  first  the 


THE  DOOR  OF  AMOY  OPENED        71 

Chinese  government  demonstrated  its  strong  opposi- 
tion to  the  drug,  and  as  early  as  1729  issued  a 
drastic*  edict  against  its  introduction.  At  times 
stern  measures  were  adopted  for  its  suppression,  such 
as  banishment  of  offenders  and  confiscation  of  the 
goods.  Finally  on  the  i8th  of  March  1838,  a  pro- 
clamation was  issued  demanding  the  surrender  of 
all  the  opium  in  possession  of  merchants,  and  bonds 
required  that  no  more  should  be  introduced  under 
penalty  of  death. 

In  response  1,037  chests  were  delivered  up,  and 
then,  on  March  27th,  1839,  through  Chas.  Elliot, 
the  English  representative,  20,283  chests,  valued 
at  $11,000,000,  were  passed  over  to  the  Chinese 
authorities,  and  an  agreement  signed  by  most  of 
the  foreign  merchants  not  to  trade  in  opium  any 
more.  This  whole  quantity  was  destroyed  by  the 
Chinese  authorities  in  good  faith,  and  as  a  noted 
historian  observed,  it  was  "a  solitary  instance  in 
the  history  of  the  world  of  a  pagan  monarch  pre- 
ferring to  destroy  what  would  injure  his  subjects 
rather  than  to  fill  his  own  pockets  with  the  sale." 
In  addition,  sixteen  persons — English,  American 
and  Indian — principal  agents  in  the  trade,  were 
ordered  out  of  the  country  and  told  never  to  return 
again. 

But  the  agreement  was  never  kept,  and  before 
the  last  chest  was  destroyed,  shiploads  were  on  the 
way  and  some  being  unloaded  on  the  defenceless 


*Chinese  Recorder,  August  1907. 


72  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

shores.  And  it  kept  on  coming  and  coming  until  the 
two  nations  of  England  and  China  were  plunged  in 
a  cruel  and  destructive  war. 

So  far  as  Amoy  was  concerned  the  stirring 
events  of  the  early  forties  were  prefaced  by  the 
arrival  in  the  harbor  of  the  English  man-of-war 
"Blonde"  (July  3rd,  1840)  with  a  letter  which  was 
to  be  forwarded  from  this  port  to  the  authorities  in 
Peking.  The  reception  given  to  this  expedition  is 
narrated  in  an  Imperialf  edict,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  an  extract : — 

"Upon  this  occasion  (6th  Moon,  5th  day,  i.e. 
3rd  July,  1840,)  an  English  ship  of  war  sailed  into 
the  harbor  of  Amoy,  under  pretense,  as  they  said, 
that  they  wished  for  peace.  At  that  time  both 
civil  and  military  officers  went  forward  to  impede 
their  landing,  and  gave  them  a  hearty  scolding;  they 
did  not  permit  them  to  come  on  shore.  Whereupon 
these  rebellious  foreigners  had  the  hardihood  to 
change  their  flag  and  fire  off  their  guns ;  and  a  prin- 
cipal person  of  the  ship,  dressed  in  foreign  clothes, 
but  speaking  the  Flowery  speech,  came  right  before 
our  fort,  and  alternately  made  use  of  the  most 
bland  and  most  abusive  language.  Just  then  Chin 
Seefuh  acting  as  major  of  the  central  division  of 
the  admiral's  troops  let  fly  an  arrow  and  hit  him 
right  in  the  hollow  of  the  breast,  when  he  fell  dead, 
and  our  soldiers  in  succession  firing  off  their  match- 
locks shot  two  of  the  foreigners  who  fell  into  the 
sea.  Chin  Shingyuen,  acting  as  colonel,  who  was 

f  Chinese  Repository,  Vol.  x.  p.  443. 


THE  DOOR  OF  AMOY  OPENED   73 

commanding  on  the  occasion,  seized  a  long  spear, 
with  which  he  ran  a  white  foreigner  thro  the  body 
and  killed  him;  and  the  people  of  our  warships 
afloat,  and  our  mandarins  and  soldiers  from  the 
shore,  firing  off  volley  after  volley  of  great  guns 
and  matchlocks,  hit  and  wounded  an  immense  num- 
ber of  the  foreigners,  etc.,  etc.,  etc."  All  the 
Chinese  officers  who  took  part  in  preventing  the 
foreign  vessel  to  accomplish  its  mission  were  im- 
mediately promoted. 

Arrival  of  the  British  Fleet. 

The  next  chapter  in  those  troublous  times  opened 
with  the  arrival  of  the  British  fleet  in  the  summer 
of  1841,  composed  of  the  following  vessels : — 

Bentinch.          Blenheim.          Druid. 

Queen.  Marion.  Cruizer. 

Phiegethon.      Nemesis.  Algerine. 

Columbine.       Modeste.  Pylades. 

Wellesey.          Sesostris.  Blonde. 

There  were*  two  745  and  seven  other  ships  of 
war,  four  steamers,  twenty-three  transports,  and 
two  other  vessels,  carrying  in  all  3,500  troops, 
under  the  joint  command  of  Sir  Hugh  Gough  and 
Admiral  Parker.  Four  days  after  leaving  Canton 
the  whole  flotilla  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
Amoy,  Aug.  25th,  1841.  The  British  forces  had 
not  been  unexpected,  and  extensive  preparations  had 
been  made  for  their  reception. 


*  William's  Middle  Kingdom  Vol.  II 


74  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

"Every  island  and  protecting  headland  over- 
looking the  harbor  had  been  occupied  and  armed, 
and  a  continuous  line  of  stone  wall  more  than  a 
mile  long,  with  embrasures  roofed  by  large  slabs 
covered  with  earth  to  protect  the  guns,  had  been 
built,  and  batteries  and  bastions  erected  at  well- 
chosen  points." 

The  following*  ultimatum  was  issued  on  Aug. 
26th,  1841. 

To  his  excellency  the  admiral,  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  naval  forces  of  the  province  of  Fukien : — 

"The  undersigned,  Sir  Henry  Pottinger,  Bart, 
her  Britannic  majesty's  plenipotentiary,  Sir  William 
Parker,  commanding  in  chief  the  naval  forces,  and 
Sir  Hugh  Gough,  commanding  in  chief  the  land 
forces  of  the  British  nation  in  these  parts. 

There  being  certain  differences  subsisting  be- 
tween the  two  nations  of  Great  Britain  and  China, 
which  have  not  been  cleared  up,  the  undersigned 
plenipotentiary,  and  the  commanders-iii-chief  have 
received  the  instructions  of  their  sovereign,  that 
unless  these  be  completely  removed,  and  secure 
arrangement  made,  by  accession  to  the  demands 
last  year  presented  at  Tientsin,  they  shall  regard  it 
as  their  duty  to  resort  to  hostile  measures  for  the 
enforcement  of  those  demands.  But  the  under- 
signed plenipotentiary  and  commanders-in-chief 
moved  by  compassionate  feelings,  are  averse  to 
causing  the  death  of  so  many  officers  and  soldiers  as 


*  Chinese  Repository  Vol.  XI  Pg.  155. 


THE  DOOR  OF  AMOY  OPENED        75 

must  perish,  and  urgently  request  the  admiral 
commanding  in  chief  in  this  province  forthwith  to 
deliver  the  town  and  all  the  fortifications  of  Amoy 
into  the  hands  of  the  British  forces,  to  be  held  for 
the  present  by  them.  Upon  his  doing  so,  all  the 
officers  and  troops  therein  will  be  allowed  to  retire 
with  their  personal  arms  and  baggage,  and  the 
people  shall  receive  no  hurt :  and  whenever  these 
difficulties  shall  be  settled,  and  the  demands  of 
Great  Britain  fully  granted,  the  whole  shall  be 
restored  to  the  hands  of  the  Chinese." 

(Signed) 
HENRY  POTTINGER, 

Her  Majesty's  Plenipotentiary. 

WiivLiAM  PARKER, 

Rear  Admiral. 

HUGH  GOUGH, 

Major  General. 

No  recognition  of  the  ultimatum  being  taken 
the  battle  was  begun  at  *  one  o'clock  on  the  same 
day.  For  a  time  the  struggle  was  fierce,  and  notwith- 
standing a  continuous  cannonading  from  frigates 
and  steamers, — in  all  more  than  24,000  rounds  of 
shot  and  shell  being  discharged  for  many  consecutive 
hours,  no  preceptible  impression  was  made  upon 
the  fortications.  Another  marvellous  thing  was 
that  in  spite  of  this  bombardment  only  about  forty 
lost  their  lives.  Probably  the  place  would  not 
have  fallen  had  not  the  English  landed  a  force  and 
attacked  the  place  from  the  rear. 

*  Chinese  Repository  Vols.  X  and  XI. 


76  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

"  At  one  o'clock  the  Queen  and  Sesostris  stood 
in  for  the  east  end  of  the  long  battery,  and  the 
Blonde  and  Druid  and  Modeste  for  Kolongsu. 
The  Sesostris  fired  first.  It  was  returned.  The 
Queen  then  commenced.  The  batteries  on  all  sides 
soon  opened.  The  Bentinck  gave  the  soundings  for 
the  Wellesley  and  Blenheim,  in  front  of  the  long- 
battery,  distant  400  yards.  The  Chinese  endured 
the  fire  right  manfully,  standing  to  their  guns  till 
they  were  shot  down  by  musketry  in  the  rear.  "  The 
batteries  were  never  completely  silenced  by  the  ships' 
guns,  and,  it  is  believed  they  never  would  have  been. 

"It  was  nearly  3  p.m.,  before  the  i8th  landed, 

accompanied  by  Sir  Hugh  Gough  and  staff The 

flank  companies  soon  got  over  the  wall  driving  the 
enemy  before  them. ..  .killing  more  men  in  ten 
minutes  than  the  men-of-war  did  during  the  whole 
day ....  The  troops  passed  thro  the  southern  suburbs 
mounted  the  heights  between  them  and  the  chief 
town,  where  they  bivouacked  for  the  night,  and 
entered  the  citadel  the  next  morning."  Thus  fell 
the  boasted  strength  of  Amoy. 

"All  the  arms  and  public  stores,  consisting  of 
powder,  wall-pieces,  gingals,  matchlocks,  shields, 
uniforms,  bows,  arrows,  spears  and  other  articles 
found  in  great  quantities  were  destroyed;  500 
cannon  were  found  in  the  forts."  The  Chinese 
forces  were  estimated  to  be  8,000  troops  and  26 
war  junks,  one  two-decker,  built  on  the  foreign 
model  and  carrying  30  guns. 


THE  DOOR  OF  AMOY  OPENED        77 

Leaving  a  detachment  of  550  soldiers  under 
Major  Cowper  on  Kolongsu,  and  three  vessels  the 
Druid,  Pylades  and  Algerine,  detached  from  the 
fleet,  to  guard  the  place,  the  flotilla  left  for  Chusan. 

"Kolongsu  was  not  evacuated  before  March 
1845,  after  the  payment  of  the  fifth  instalment  of 
the  indemnity,"  it  being  a  stipulation  made  at  the 
Nanking  Convention  that  Kolongsu  (and  Chusan) 
"should  be  held  by  Her  Majesty's  forces  until  the 
money  payments  and  arrangements  for  opening  the 
port  to  English  merchants  were  completed." 

The  affairs  of  nations  as  well  as  of  individuals 
are  in  the  hands  of  and  under  the  control  of  the 
Great  Ruler  of  the  Universe.  He  maketh  even  the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and  out  of  this  strife 
and  commotion  He  wrought  good.  Canton,  Amoy, 
Foochow,  Ningpo  and  Shanghai,  by  the  Convention 
of  Nanking,  Aug.  29th,  1842,  were  opened  for 
residence  and  commerce,  and  for  the  introduction 
of  the  gospel,  whose  messengers  have  ever  since 
proclaimed  far  and  wide  in  this  empire  peace  and 
good  will  and  salvation  thro  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of 
God. 

By  the  Treaty  of  Tientsin,  made  in  1858  and 
ratified  in  1860,  ten  new  ports  were  opened  in 
China,  among  them  being  *Tamsui,*  Taiwanfoo, 
Swatow,  Chef oo  and  Tientsin.  In  1878  there  were 
twenty-one  ports  opened  for  trade,  and  permission 
granted  to  all  foreigners  (1860)  to  travel  with 
passports. 


fNow  Japanese  territory. 


78  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOV 

Other  treaties  and  edicts  or  arrangements 
followed  until  in  nearly  every  province  we  find  one 
or  more  places  open  for  foreign  residents,  for 
holding  of  property,  and  for  trade.  (See  Appendix). 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  PEOPLE,  CHARACTERISTICS  AND 
CUSTOMS. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  author  to  enter 
into  any  lengthy  discussion  of  the  ethnological  or 
ethical  matters  connected  with  the  people  of  this 
district.  It  is  too  complicated  a  subject  to  treat 
with  any  degree  of  satisfaction  in  a  single  chapter; 
nor  will  it  be  required  in  a  book  of  this  nature. 
The  Hak-kas.  (&$£) 

We  will  do  well  by  noticing  first  of  all,  tho 
briefly,  the  Hak-kas.  Tho  only  a  few  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  Amoy  district,  they  form  a 
distinct  class  by  themselves,  having  their  own 
dialect,  customs,  etc,  while  amenable  to  all  the  laws  of 
the  land  in  which  they  dwell.  They  form  a  kind  of 
colony  occupying  a  triangular  wedge-shaped  piece 
of  land  bordering  on  the  three  provinces  of  Kwang- 
tung,  Kiang-si  and  Fukien.  The  larger  number 
(said  to  be  5,000,000)  live  in  Kwangtung,  but  as 
one  point  of  the  triangle  extends  up  or  across  into 
Fukien  large  numbers  are  found  in  the  Ting-chow 
prefecture,  which  not  so  many  years  ago  formed  a 
part  of  Kwangtung.  The  Hak-kas  are  also  said 
to  dwell  in  Kiang-si  and  even  in  Chekiang, 

The  name  means  stranger  or  guest  and  they 
are  spoken  of  in  the  Amoy  dialect  as  Kheh-lang 
(§  A )  signifying  that  they  came  from  other  parts. 


So  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

It  is  believed  that  their  original*  home  was  in 
North  China,  probably  in  Shantung,  from  whence 
they  were  driven  southward  during  three  *persecu- 
tions,  first,  at  some  time  during  the  Ts'in  Dynasty 
(B.  C.  249-206)  when  they  fled  into  Xganhwei, 
Honan,  and  Kiang-si;  secotid,  during  the  Sung 
Dynasty  A.  D.  419,  when  they  scattered  among  the 
mountains  of  Kiang-si  and  Fukien;  third,  in  the 
time  of  the  Sung  Dynasty  A.  D.  620,  when  they 
were  swept  further  South  into  Kwang-tung  where 
they  have  settled  down  in  large  numbers. 

They  have  been  called  Highlanders  and  hill- 
men,  and  sometimes  squatters,  and  are  found 
in  the  hill  portions  of  the  provinces  already 
named, — not  so  much  from  a  matter  of  choice, 
but  because  all  the  plains  were  occupied  before 
their  arrival.  They  simply  took  possession  of 
these  places,  squatted  upon  these  mountainous 
lands.  Being  mountainous  people  they  are  sturdy 
and  of  strong  build;  they  are  manly,  independent, 
and  less  polished — tho  bolder  than  their  neighbors 
on  the  plain.  When  they  go  abroad,  which  many 
do  to  the  Straits  Settlement  and  elsewhere,  they 
become  very  influential  and  wealthy.  Coming  from 
a  part  of  China  where  education  was  more  valued 
they  retain  their  literary  habits  as  far  as  their 
poverty  allows.  They  seem  to  have  more  leisure 
to  smoke  their  long  pipes  and  read  books,  at  least 
they  make  time  to  do  so.  It  is  said  that  they  have 


"Comprehensive  Geography  of  the  Chinese  Empire. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  81 

more  educated  men  among  them,  in  proportion, 
than  is  found  among  the  Hok-los  (|jf  35).  The 
Hok-los  estimated  at  3,000,000*  are  emigrants  from 
Fukien  and  form  the  principal  part  of  the  people 
in  the  Swatow  district.  Their  language  is  very 
similar  to  the  Amoy  dialect,  making  it  possible  for 
the  people  of  Swatow  and  Amoy  to  understand 
each  other  fairly  well. 

The  Native  Chinese,    (fc  *fe) 

But  to  turn  our  attention  to  these  10,000,000 
(estimated)  inhabitants  of  this  southern  part  of 
Fukien,  what  shall  -we  say  of  them?  They  are  a 
part  of  a  wonderful  people,  and  it  is  the  testimony 
of  many  that  the  longer  one  lives  among  them  the 
less  he  knows  about  them.  That  may  seem  very 
paradoxical,  yet  truer  word  was  never  spoken. 
Their  ways  are  not  our  ways,  and  there  is  no  more 
difficult  task  than  getting  at  their  view  point  of 
things.  If  we  could  only  do  that,  we  would  pro- 
bably understand  them  better. 

The  Chinese  have  a  way  peculiarly  their  own 
of  going  at  things.  We  are  not  criticizing  it,  but 
it  is  a  certain  kind  of  diplomacy  which  is  entirely 
contrary  to  all  methods  of  the  Occident.  They 
have  a  way  of  looking  round  corners,  so  to  speak, 
rarely  straight  ahead.  Seldom  will  they  approach 
a  subject  directly,  but  they  proceed  to  do  so  by 
going  in  a  round  about  way.  A  person  may  visit 

*  Comprehensive  Geography  of  the  Chinese  Empire  Pg.  344. 


82  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

you  with  a  definite  purpose  in  view  to  speak  about 
a  certain  matter.  The  chances  are  that  he  will 
talk  away  upon  every  other  subject  he  can  think 
of,  until  he  is  about  to  depart  when  fortunately  he 
is  reminded  of  the  one  and  only  thing  which  brought 
him  to  your  abode.  As  many  of  their  thoughts 
can  only  be  expressed  in  English  by  circumlocution 
so  it  would  seem  that  they  can  alone  approach 
certain  matters  in  this  way.  There  is  one  pleasing 
feature  about  this,  no  one  can  be  abrupt  under  such 
circumstances. 

One  hears  all  kinds  of  comment  upon  the 
deceptiveness  of  the  Chinese  and  yet  in  business 
circles,  the  commercial  world,  they  have  the  re- 
putation of  being  the  most  straightforward  and 
conscientious  merchants  in  the  whole  Eastern 
hemisphere.  This  holds  true  here  in  Amoy. 

The  business  of  the  country  for  competition, 
respectability  and  honesty  will  compare  favorably 
with  that  of  other  countries  of  the  West ;  and  it  is 
far  above  that  of  other  countries  of  the  Orient, 
confessedly  so.  You  may  always  depend  upon  the 
man  with  whom  you  may  be  dealing  to  deliver  the 
goods.  No  matter  how  much  they  may  lose  in  the 
transaction  the  Chinese  have  the  reputation  of 
fulfilling  their  contracts  every  time  to  the  letter. 

The  people  of  the  Amoy  district  are  industrious. 
Idleness  is  not  conspicuous.  In  every  town,  village, 
and  hamlet,  of  this  district  the  hum  and  whir  of 
traffic,  and  the  wearisome  hours  of  toil  never 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   83 

cease, — except  for  one  or  two  weeks  at  Chinese 
New  Year,  which  occurs  generally  Early  in 
February.  A  day  of  rest,  a  Sabbath,  is  an  un- 
known day  to  many  millions  in  this  region. 

We  are  not  saying  that  the  Chinese  put  as 
much  force  arid  energy  in  their  work,  nor  accom- 
plish as  much  in  the  same  time  as  an  American  or 
European  does,  for  probably  one  foreigner  ac- 
complishes as  much  in  one  day  as  three  Chinese 
would.  And  perhaps  the  love  of  it  does  not  actuate 
them  to  the  same  degree  as  is  found  in  the  West. 
Nevertheless  there  can  be  no  question  about  their 
being  toilers,  and  naturally  industrious.  Nor  do  we 
believe  a  paid  laborer  in  China  is  any  lazier,  or  any 
more  anxious  to  quit  work  on  the  moment,  than  the 
average  workman  in  the  West. 

But  there  is  one  very  conspicuous  difference : 
an  unmistakable  evidence  of  lack  of  pride  in  the 
perfection  of  their  work.  Very  rarely,  if  ever, 
will  a  Chinese  workman  admit  that  a  piece  of  work 
is  not  well  done,  whatever  the  flaw  may  be.  He 
will  back  it  up  with  a  word  that  covers  a  multitude 
of  sins :  Chha-put-to*  (^|  >fC  ^).  There  is  no  room 
for  argument  after  that.  This  national  defect  is 
by  no  means  confined  to  workmen,  but  it  touches 
all  phases  of  life. 

However  we  have  faith  to  believe,  that  under 
Christian  influences,  it  is  undergoing  a  change. 

*Nearly  correct;  it  will  do. 


84  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Not  alone  among  the  laborers,  farmers  and 
merchants  are  these  evidences  of  industry  manifest, 
we  see  them  among  the  scholars  also.  Failure  to 
obtain  a  coveted  prize  never  baffles  or  discourages 
the  indefatigable  competitor.  In  some  cases  the 
contest  continues  a  lifetime  with  the  prize  never 
won.  For  example  at  a  single  prefecture*  10,000 
candidates  presented  themselves,  under  the  old 
regime,  at  the  regular  examinations.  Among  them 
were  found  the  grandfathers,  sons,  and  grandsons, 
all  competing  for  the  same  prize,  i.e.,  the  same 
degree.  In  1889  the  Governor  General  of  Fukien 
reported  that  at  the  autumnal  examination  in  Foo- 
chow  there  were  nine  candidates  over  eighty,  and 
one  over  ninety  years  old.  At  still  another,  thirty 
five  competitors  were  over  eighty  and  eighteen 
over  ninety.  Such  indomitable  perseverance  along 
educational  lines,  tho  sadly  misdirected,  has  been 
seldom  witnessed  outside  of  China.  If  ever  her 
educational  methods  conform  to  Western  ideas, 
which  are  coming  to  be  more  and  more  recognized 
by  the  Chinese  as  superior  to  their  antiquated  system, 
Chinese  scholarship  is  destined  to  take  first  rank. 

Nor  have  the  Chinese  of  South  Fukien  been 
inconspicuous  in  scholarship.  Some  of  them  have  oc- 
cupied and  do  occupy  high  and  responsible  positions 
in  national  life  in  recognition  of  such  attainment. 
Just  to  speak  of  two  or  three.  Mr.  Chiang  Ch'un- 


*  Examinations  were  held  regularly  at  Chuan-chow,  Chang- 
chow  and  Chang-pu. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   85 

lin  one  of  the  foremost  reformers  of  his  time  is  a 
native  of  Eng-chhnn.  The  Vice  President  Tan  Chi- 
lin  of  the  *Fukien  Provincial  Assembly,  which  met 
for  the  first  time  on  the  i/j-th  of  October  1909,  is  a 
native  of  Chang-chow,  and  a  Christian.  Another, 
Dr.  Lim  Bfln-kheng  educated  in  Edinburgh,  a  brilliant 
scholar  and  a  physician  in  Singapore  for  a  number 
of  years,  has  recently  received  appointment  as 
Medical  Delegate  of  the  Imperial  Chinese  Com- 
mission to  the  International  Hygiene  Exhibition  at 
Dresden.  He  has  also  been  appointed  Inspector 
General  of  Government  Hospitals,  and  Medical 
Advisor  to  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  of  the 
Chinese  Empire. 

We  might  add  the  name  of  still  another  man, 
Dr.  Chin  Mo-se  of  whom  this  place  may  well  be 
proud.  About  1901  he  went  to  England  and  after 
completing  his  Arts  and  Theological  courses  at 
Bradford  College  he  proceeded  to  Germany,  where, 
in  the  Berlin  University  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy. 


*  Constitutional  government  was  first  mentioned  in  1906. 
(See  review  of  edicts  in  the  "Recorder"  1907,  1908.)  Provin- 
cial parliaments  were  settled  and  constituted  in  1908,  and  a 
National  Senate  in  1910 ;  this  was  composed  of  about  200 
members,  one  half  being  elected  by  the  people  and  the  other 
half  appointed  by  the  government.  The  inaugural  meeting 
was  held  at  Peking  the  middle  of  September,  but  informal 
meeting  took  place  October  3rd  1910. 

In  the  Spring  of  191 1  a  Cabinet,  composed  of  ten  ministers, 
besides  a  President  and  two  Vice-Presidents,  was  formed.  A 
National  Parliament  is  promised  in  1912  or  1913,  i.e.,  the  5th 
year  of  Hsuan-Tung.  This  is  three  or  four  years  in  advance 
of  the  original  scheme. 


86  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Last  year  (1910)  he  returned  to  England  when 
he  was  ordained  at  the  Congregational  Church  in 
Guildford.  Recently  (1911)  he  arrived  in  Amoy 
on  his  way  to  Peking  where  he  has  accepted  the 
chair  of  Professor  of  Philosophy  in  the  University 
of  Peking.  He  returns  a  loyal  Christian  man, 
strong  in  the  faith,  and  with  a  purpose  to  devote 
much  of  his  time  to  active  and  positive  Christian  work. 

The  people  of  this  district  have  readily  adopted 
the  new  (Western)  methods  of  education,  and  have 
opened  many  schools  under  the  new  regime.  Com- 
plete statistics  are  not  at  hand,  but  in  1908  the 
author  succeeded  in  obtaining  reports  from  83 
Elementary  Schools  with  3188  pupils:  8  Middle 
Schools  with  763  students ;  and  3  Normal  Schools 
with  156  students,  which  have  been  established  in 
this  district  either  by  the  government  or  gentry. 
Undoubtedly  the  real  number  of  schools  and 
students  far  exceed  these  figures  given  here,  but 
these  are  sufficient  in  themselves  to  indicate  what 
is  taking  place.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  in 
all  schools,  i.e.,  under  Mission,  government,  and 
gentry  supervision,  over  10,000  students  in  this 
district,  showing  that  Amoy  is  moving  forward  in 
modern  educational  matters. 

The  Passing  of  the  Queue. 

The  one  thing  above  all  else  that  has  dis- 
tinguished the  Chinese  from  all  other  races  is  the 


CHINESE   VILLAGE  HOUSE. 


A  COUNTRY  "LAU:"  CLAN  RESIDENCE. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   87 

queue.  After  the  Manchus  had  conquered  the  nation 
in  1644  this  badge  of  subjection  as  we  all  know, 
was  forced  upon  them.  To  have  removed  it  at  any 
time  up  to  1910  would  have  been  considered  an  act 
of  rebellion,  punishable  by  decapitation.  But  cus- 
toms change,  and  time  changes  many  customs.  It 
is  no  longer  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  rebellion  to 
remove  the  queue.  While  it  is  true  that  up  to  the 
present  time  no  edict  has  been  formally  issued  on 
the  subject,  yet  it  is  generally  known  that  the  cutting 
oft"  of  the  queue  has  the  tacit  approval  of  the  throne. 

With  this  understanding  quite  a  number  have 
already  in  and  about  Amoy  removed  them,  tho  not 
all  have  adopted  foreign  dress  in  doing  so.  It  has 
not  however  by  any  means  become  universal  in  this 
district,  but  that  it  will  become  more  and  more  so 
there  can  be  no  doubt. 

Marvellous  changes  have  taken  place  in  this 
great  nation,  and  many  more  will  follow,  but  can 
any  one  conceive  of  any  other  more  significant  than 
this  in  regard  to  the  queue? 

As  a  general  rule  the  Chinese  are  not  consider- 
ed very  humorous  or  happy  individuals,  perhaps 
not  at  all.  To  look  at  their  stolid,  immovable 
features  one  might  easily  imagine  that  such  a  thing 
as  a  humorous  or  happy  thought  never  disturbed 
their  mind  for  a  moment.  But  they  are  very  hu- 
morous just  the  same,  and  can  appreciate  a  joke 
just  as  well  as  others  can.  The  following  will 
illustrate  the  point,  and  are  characteristic. 


88  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

A  lady  was  in  need  of  a  house  boy,  and  more 
particularly  a  Chinese  house  boy.  So  she  visited 
the  bureau  where  such  articles  could  be  secured 
and  made  known  her  wants.  After  the  usual  ex- 
changes of  courtesies  between  the  lady  and  the 
proprietor,  a  lad  was  called  up  from  the  back  part 
of  the  shop  and  presented  to  the  lady  and  recom- 
mended as  one  able  to  fill  the  place.  The  lady 
feeling  satisfied  that  he  was  the  boy  she  was  seeking, 
engaged  him.  After  all  was  settled  she  asked  him 
his  name.  He  replied:  Samuel  John  Long  Sim 
Fung.  "Oh"  said  she,  "I  will  call  you  John." 
Naturally  the  boy  was  curious  to  know  the  lady's 
name,  so  he  asked  her  what  it  was.  She  replied : 
"Elizabeth  Van  Rensellar  Knickerbocker  Jones." 
"Oh.  I  will  call  you  Lizzie  "  replied  the  lad. 

On  one  occasion  a  Chinese  subject  in  America 
was  once  arrested  and  brought  before  a  judge. 
The  judge  was  inclined  to  be  very  gruff  and 
thundered  out  his  inquiries  in  such  tones  as  to  make 
the  foundations  of  the  house  to  tremble.  The 
prisoner  on  the  other  hand  was  as  meek  as  a  mouse, 
and  with  a  voice  just  about  as  loud.  The  contrast 
between  the  two  in  this  respect  was  laughable  enough 
in  itself.  "What's  yer  name"?  thundered  the 
judge,  "Sam  Ling-sang,"  squeaked  the  feeble 
trembling  sinner.  "  Where  yer  live  "?  "My  lib  on 
East  side."  "  Married  "  ?  "  Yep."  Who  yer  marry"  ? 
"My  mallee  a  woman."  "Of  course  yer  married  a 
woman,  who  ever  heard  of  any  one  ever  marrying 
anybody  else."  "  My  hab  sister  once  mallee  a  man." 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   89 

Losing  Face. 

There  is  one  feature  of  Chinese  life,  or  custom, 
which  is  decidedly  characteristic,  in  Amoy  as  well 
as  elsewhere,  it  is  known  as  "  face."  The  best 
definition  of  the  term  will  be  discovered  in  its 
explanation.  It  is  something  by  which  a  man's 
reputation  stands  or  falls,  and  upon  which  his 
position  in  society  depends.  The  principle  of  the 
thing  is  a  hard  one  for  Westerners  to  comprehend. 
For  instance  the  matter  of  etiquette  has  no  place  in 
its  codes.  Such  a  thing  as  apologizing  for  a  breach 
of  conduct,  confessing  or  ackowledging  a  wrong, 
however  gross  or  flagrant  it  may  have  been,  is 
simply  inconceivable.  More  than  this,  a  man  may 
be  a  thief,  a  liar,  or  guilty  of  many  crimes,  and 
these  may  all  be  gossipped  about  most  freely,  and 
still,  so  long  as  he  escapes  actual  detection  in  these 
things,  no  one  is  bold  enough  to  question  his  posi- 
tion in  society.  He  has  not  lost  "face." 

But  let  him  be  caught,  or  these  things  proven 
against  him ;  or  perchance  let  him  voluntarily  con- 
fess his  wrongs  (as  some  have,  under  the  power  of 
Christian  influences,  been  moved  to  do)  and  he 
becomes  an  outcast  immediately.  He  has  lost  his  face. 
His  position  in  society  has  gone,  and  all  look  upon 
him  with  scorn.  Not  that  any  one  of  them  would 
pronounce  stealing,  cheating,  or  lying  a  crime,  but 
the  crime  lay  in  being  caught,  or  in  confessing  it. 
There  is  not  so  much  disgrace  in  stealing  and  lying 
per  se,  but  it  is  an  unpardonable  disgrace  to  be 


90  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

caught  in  either  or  acknowleding  the  one  or  the 
other.  A  man,  it  would  seem,  would  rather  lose 
almost  anything  in  the  world  than  to  "lose  his  face." 

The  question  of  "face"  however  is  not  con- 
fined alone  to  these  glaring  faults,  but  there  are 
other  fields  where  it  may  be  discovered. 

The  teacher  loses  face  when  his  pupils  fail  to 
pass  their  examinations ;  and  there  are  those,  who, 
rather  than  lose  face,  will  see  to  it  that  their 
students  are  advanced  or  their  diplomas  presented 
when  not  much  work  has  been  done  to  merit  or 
warrant  such  action.  (But  there  are  some  others 
beside  natives,  who  in  their  eagerness  after  a  high 
enrollment  on  their  school  registers  have  been 
afflicted  in  the  same  way). 

It  places  men  sometimes  in  awkward  and  un- 
enviable positions.  During  a  drought  in  a  neighbor- 
ing city,  a  certain  priest  made  a  prediction  that  rain 
would  fall  on  a  certain  day.  So  absolutely  sure 
was  he  of  this  that  he  made  the  announcement  that 
if  it  did  not  rain  on  the  day  specified  he  would 
offer  himself  a  human  sacrifice.  The  day  came  but 
no  rain.  True  to  his  word  rather  than  lose  face, 
he  committed  suicide  on  his  own  self-constructed 
pyre.  He  had  saved  his  "  face." 
Physical  characteristics. 

The  Amoy  people  are  not  physically  strong  in 
appearance.  They  are  less  robust,  shorter,  and  of 
lighter  build  than  the  people  of  the  northern  pro- 
vinces. But  they  are  wiry,  hardy,  and  enduring. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS  91 

A  great  many  old  people  are  found  among  them. 
Still  there  are  only  a  few  octogenarians,  and  rarely 
is  a  nonagenarian  to  be  seen.  Among  the  poorer 
classes,  especially  the  "coolies,"  not  many  reach  old 
age — plague,  cholera,  fevers,  dirt,  opium,  filth,  vice, 
and  ignorance,  cut  them  down,  and  they  fall  by  the 
thousands  every  year  like  grass  before  the  reaper's 
knife.  All  these  things  most  effectually  prevent 
old  age. 
Diet. 

Their  principal  diet  consists  of  meat,  fish, 
fowl,  pork,  rice,  sweet  potatoes,  pickled  vegetables, 
fresh  vegetables  of  many  kinds,  vermicelli  and  fruits. 
The  abundance  of  these  things,  or  their  sparsity,  on 
the  table  will  depend  wholly  upon  whether  a  family 
be  rich,  well-to-do,  or  poor. 
Foot-binding. 

The  horrible  custom  of  binding  the  feet, 
commencing  when  the  child  is  about  three  years 
old,  prevails  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  eighteen 
provinces.  Fortunately  this  cruelty  and  suffering 
is  being  constantly  diminished.  Each  year  marks 
the  advance  made  by  the  Anti-Footbinding  Society 
against  this  inhuman  practice.  The  prediction  may 
be  safely  made  that  before  many  decades  pass  this 
mutilation  and  deformation  of  natural  and  God- 
given  feet  will  entirely  cease. 
Infanticide. 

To  what  extent  infanticide  is  practiced  in  this 
district   is   difficult   to    determine.     It    cannot    be 


92  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

extensively  practiced  or  we  should  hear  more  about 
it.  That  many  little  female  babes  are  strangled  at 
birth  and  not  allowed  to  live  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
But  such  crimes  are  less  frequently  committed  in 
these  days  than  they  were  fifty,  or  even  twenty 
years  age.  The  Law:  "Thou  shalt  not  kill;"  and 
the  Gospel :  "  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of  heaven," 
have  been  sounding  the  message  of  life  into  the 
hearts  and  homes  of  this  people  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  these  fathers  and  mothers  accept  these  little 
girls  as  precious  gifts,  not  as  unwelcome  burdens. 
And  when  this  evangel  is  everywhere  heard,  these 
lives  will  be  precious  in  the  homes  of  all. 

Classes. 

As  in  the  countries  of  the  West  there  are  the 
Chinese  gentleman  and  the  scholar,  the  unlearned 
and  the  ignorant,  plus  the  coolie.  They  who  would 
bunch  them  all  together  without  distinction  make  a 
serious  blunder ;  and  they  who  declare  they  are  all 
alike  go  grievously  wrong. 

Fortunately  there  is  no  such  distinction  as 
caste,  altho  sharp  contrasts  prevail  everywhere  in 
this  district.  The  different  grades  of  society  are 
open  to  all  excepting  barbers  and  fortune  tellers, 
these  are  ever  debarred  from  becoming  mandarins. 

The  Chinese  divide  themselves  into  scholars, 
farmers,  workmen  and  traders.  Just  as  good  a 
division  would  be  (i)  the  aristocracy,  (2)  the  mer- 
chants, (3)  the  farmers,,  and  (4)  the  laborers. 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   93 

(i)  In  this  class  are  included  the  Imperial 
family,  the  royal  family,  the  mandarins  and  the 
literati.  There  are  none  of  the  t\vo  former  in  Amoy 
but  plenty  of  the  two  latter  living  in  this  district. 
Their  houses  are  very  pretentious,  frequently  cover- 
ing considerable  space. 

They  are  built  in  suites  arranged  around  open 
courts,  some  to  accommodate  the  numerous  wives 
(for  a  Chinese  may  have  as  many  wives  as^he  can 
afford,  tho  only  one  is  his  real  wife),  others  for 
guests  according  to  their  rank,  others  for  secretaries 
and  teachers,  and  still  others  for  retainers  and 
servants.  While  the  architecture  is  very  simple  yet 
the  houses,  built  of  brick  or  stone,  are  sometimes 
exquisitely  decorated  with  carvings  and  paintings 
both  within  and  without. 

For  furniture  there  are  highly  polished  carved 
chairs,  hard  and  uncomfortable.  Tea  tables  are 
arranged  about  the  room,  conveniently  placed  for 
two  persons.  One  side  of  the  room  is  occupied  by 
a  high  mantel  with  various  ornaments,  before  which 
is  placed  a  correspondingly  high  lacquered  table. 
This  table  serves  as  the  household  shrine  upon 
which  offerings  to  the  idols  are  made.  There  is 
also  the  dais  richly  canopied  and  decorated  where 
the  host  receives  his  guests  of  honor.  The  walls 
are  adorned  with  scrolls  and  banners  inscribed 
with  choice  sayings  of  China's  greatest  sage,  or 
perhaps  phrases  lauding  the  virtues  and  renown  of 
the  family.  In  these  purely  oriental  homes  there 


94  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

are  no  carpets,  but  tile  (a  thin  brick)  floors  prevail. 
Light  is  sparingly  admitted.  The  windows  are  so 
small  that  only  a  little  light  can  get  in. 

(2)  For  convenience  we  will  group  the  mer- 
chants and  farmers  under  the  one  general  head  of 
the  middle  class.  To  the  former  belong  the  bankers, 
manufactures,  shippers,  and  clerks;  to  the  latter 
the  tillers  of  the  soil.  To  this  class  also  belong  the 
artisans,  skilled  workmen,  and  contractors. 

The  homes  of  the  merchants,  especially  of  those 
who  have  been  abroad,  are  more  like  the  homes  of 
foreigners  than  any  others.  Some  of  them  have 
purchased  foreign  built  houses  on  Kolongsu,  furnish- 
ed in  foreign  style  and  foreign  in  many  details. 
Kerosene  lamps  take  the  place  of  the  teng-he  ($g  ^) 
a  tallow-dip  affair.  The  innovation  of  using  lamps 
and  kerosene  oil  is  well-nigh  universal  in  this  entire 
district.  While  they  are  not  rich  as  a  class,  still 
some  of  the  merchants  and  bankers  and  business 
men  (some  retired)  may  well  be  termed  "merchant 
princes." 

The  homes  of  the  farmers  are  often  far  from 
inviting.  Usually  they  are  most  unhomelike.  This 
may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  there  are  no  barns  in 
this  part  of  China  and  therefore  the  home  has  to 
perform  the  function  in  many  instances  of  both 
house  and  barn. 

In  the  interior,  in  western  districts,  some 
of  the  Chinese  houses  are  built  in  complete  circles, 


"THE  SOUTHERN  SENTINEL" 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   95 

each  forming  a  small  village  in  itself.  They  are 
called  "lati",  a  kind  of  compartment  house.  Occas- 
ionally you  see  one  of  massive  proportions,  being  in 
some  instances  600  feet  in  circumference,  60  feet 
high,  and  with  walls  10  feet  deep.  There  is  but  one 
door  for  the  occupants  to  go  in  and  out.  As  many 
as  600  live  in  this  kind  of  a  flat.  Up  in  the  northern 
districts  these  lavs  are  built  in  the  form  of  a  square 
and  are  four  stories  high. 

This  great  middle  class  we  consider  the  back- 
bone of  the  nation,  and  the  hope  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  China.  It  is  of  this  material,  thus  far, 
that  our  Amoy  churches  are  composed.  In  passing 
we  cannot  refrain  from  saying  just  a  word  in  regard 
to  the  liberality  of  these  Chinese  Christians.  The 
members  of  the  native  churches  of  the  three  Missions 
in  Amoy,  viz:  The  American  Reformed,  English 
Presbyterian,  and  London  Missionary  Society,  con- 
tribute annually  in  round  numbers  for  the  support 
of  their  churches  the  sum  of  $50,000  Mex.  That  is 
a  princely  sum,  and  taking  all  things  into  considera- 
tion, i.e.,  wages,  avenues  of  industry,  etc.,  etc.,  it  is 
easily  equal  to  a  contribution  of  $500,000  in  the 
United  States  or  England. 

(3)  In  the  laboring  class  are  included  the  carters, 
coolies,  farm-hands,  wheelbarrow  men  (none  about 
Amoy  however),  chair-bearers,  boatmen,  runners 
and  barbers.  Their  homes  are  simply  wretched. 
We  will  not  attempt  to  describe  them.  If  one 
wishes  to  witness  poverty,  misery,  and  filth,  in 


96  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

grossest  form,  let  him  visit  the  dwellings  of  the  poor 
in  Amoy.  They  are  made  up  of  bare  walls,  mud 
floors,  and  cheerless  gloomy  rooms.  The  domestic 
animals  in  America  are  many,  many  times  better 
housed  than  they. 

Fukien.   The  Meaning  of  the  name. 

The  name  Fukien,  which  means  "established 
happiness,"  in  a  large  measure  characterizes  the 
people  of  this  district.  I  think  we  may  safely  go 
further  and  say  that  this  is  true  of  the  whole 
province.  What  we  mean  is  this :  they  are  not 
antagonistic  to  foreigners.  The  attack  upon  the  two 
foreigners  (business  men)  at  Tong-an  in  June  1906 
might  prove  the  contrary,  but  the  reasons  for  that 
assault  have  never  been  fully  demonstrated.  If  they 
were  it  might  put  a  different  aspect  on  the  matter. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  occasions,  the 
Chinese  in  these  parts  have  never  exhibited  any 
opposition  to  the  stranger  within  their  gates. 
These  occasions  were  due  more  to  political  events 
than  to  the  disposition  of  the  people.  These 
events,  some  of  which  will  be  considered  elsewhere, 
were:  The  Taiping  Rebellion  (1850 — 1864);  the 
War  with  France  (1884);  the  War  with  Japan 
(1894)  ;  and  the  Boxer  Movement  (1900). 

While  we  have  no  desire  to  give  the  impression 
that  foreigners  have  gained  the  full  confidence 
of  the  entire  people  of  this  district,  or  that  the 
presence  of  the  missionaries  among  them  is  entirely 


CHARACTERISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS   97 

above  suspicion — for  the  natives  cannot  banish 
altogether  from  their  minds  the  idea  that  they  are 
here,  not  as  those  who  serve,  but  as  those  who  come 
to  obtain  some  personal  or  national  advantage, — yet 
this  we  can  unhesitatingly  affirm,  that  the  wall  of 
separation  is  being  levelled  to  the  ground,  and  the 
work  of  missionaries  is  coming  to  be  more  and 
more  appreciated  and  prized. 

But  there  is  one  aspect  of  the  name  which  is 
far  from  significant,  and  that  is  the  constant  strife 
among  themselves,  especially  manifested  in  clan- 
fights,  which  are  peculiarly  characteristic  of  this 
region. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS. 

Not  the  individual,  not  the  individual  family 
so  much,  but  the  clan  (numbers  of  families)  appears 
to  be  at  least  the  predominating  characteristic 
element  in  the  national  life  of  this  part  of  China. 
(Fukien  and  Kwangtung  Provinces).  One  needs 
to  reckon  with  this  element  in  arriving  at  any 
true  conception  of  the  national  life  of  "this  despotic, 
and  in  some  aspects  democratic  people"  of  these 
two  Provinces — we  are  not  speaking  of  other  parts 
o/  China.  While  it  is  common  to  all  parts  of  China 
to  have  whole  villages  or  neighborhoods  composed 
of  families  of  the  same  surname  "the  various 
branches  of  the  original  stock,  like  the  limbs  of  the 
banyan  tree,  taking  root  around  the  parent  trunk", 
yet  here  this  characteristic  seems  peculiarly  intensifi- 
ed to  a  higher  degree  than  elsewhere  in  this  entire 
nation. 

In  this  way  not  only  kindred  feelings  and 
peculiarities  remain  fixed,  but  old  animosities  of 
days  long  passed  are  effectually  preserved  un- 
changed by  the  lapse  of  time  or  distance,  now  and 
then  breaking  out  into  fierce  fights  at  home  or 
abroad  with  the  slightest  provocation.  The  clan, 
therefore,  is  not  only  a  powerful  factor  in  the 
national  life,  but  a  most  disturbing  one  as  well. 


ioo  IX  AXU  ABOUT  AMOY 

It  might  be  well  to  pause  here  for  a  moment  to 
consider  the  government  of  the  villages  and  smaller 
towns  of  China,  as  it  has  an  important  bearing  on 
the  matter  in  hand.  For  the  most  part  China  is 
made  up  of  villages  wherein  the  central  or  provincial 
government  representative  has  very  little  or  nothing 
to  say.  Perhaps  in  many  instances  there  may  be  no 
such  official  present  at  all.  These  villages  have  a 
government  of  their  own,  composed  of  a  headman 
and  a  force  of  policemen  to  control  the  imperium 
in  impetio.  The  headman,  tho  limited  somewhat 
in  power,  yet  possesses  supreme  authority  in  his 
sphere  of  action.  He  is  chosen  by  the  members  of 
the  village  where  he  resides,  and  as  the  villages  are 
for  the  most  part  made  up  of  one  clan,  the  most 
powerful  or  most  influential  man  is  chosen.  He 
usually  receives  a  salary  of  about  $300  Mex.  per 
annum,  and  holds  office  so  long  as  he  satisfies  the 
people.  He  may  be  deposed  at  any  time  and  another 
general  election  ordered,  or  another  substituted  in 
his  place  "by  the  consentaneous  voice  of  the  princi- 
pal persons  in  the  place.'*  This  is  all  accomplished, 
whether  by  election  or  substitution,  without  much 
electioneering  and  the  strife  so  common  in  other 
countries,  as  the  man  to  be  chosen  attains  office 
more  on  account  of  his  standing  in  the  community 
than  otherwise.  Hence  the  election  becomes  more 
a  matter  of  formality  than  an  exciting  contest  of 
candidates  after  office. 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       101 

The  official  thus  elected  to  be  sure  has  limited 
powers,  yet  custom  has  endowed  the  office  -with 
some  considerable  degree  of  authority  and  re- 
sponsibility. He  has  the  control  and  authority  over 
all  the  petty  affairs  of  the  village  and  can  inflict 
punishment  in  many  cases.  Under  him  is  a  force  of 
policemen  to  carry  out  his  decrees  or  to  enforce  his 
commands.  So  much  for  this  form  of  government, 
an  imperium  in  imperio,  merely  to  indicate  how  by 
such  a  system  these  clans  are  all  the  more  closely 
cemented  together,  and  how  in  this  way  they  become 
a  greater  fighting  power  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak 
of  old  feuds  and  animosities,  which  we  may  now 
pass  on  to  consider. 

Clanfights  are  distinctively  peculiar  to  the  two 
provinces  of  Fukien  and  Kwangtung.  Of  the  two, 
probably  the  former  holds  the  record  for  the  greater 
number  of  battles  and  disturbances.  In  Fukien  the 
occasions  are  rare  when  there  are  no  hostilities 
taking  place  somewhere,  tho  the  casus  belli  may  be 
of  greater  or  lesser  significance.  If  it  can  be  written 
in  a  sentence,  such  a  state  of  affairs  simply  means 
here  that,  instead  of  proceding  in  the  regular  way  in 
the  courts  of  justice  (or  injustice)  before  the 
mandarins,  the  people  elect  to  fight  out  their  disputes 
and  misunderstandings  on  the  bloody  field  of  battle. 
Such  a  condition  existing  in  the  national  life  may 
indicate  either  a  weak  and  neglectful  central  govern- 
ment, or  the  low  moral  state  of  the  people,  or  both. 
Their  suppression,  and  the  establishment  of  courts 


102  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOVT 

of  justice,  where  real  justice  could  be  assured,  would 
be  the  greatest  economy  and  blessing  that  Fukien 
and  Kwangtung  could  receive.  The  adoption  of 
Christianity  would  undoubtedly  bring  about  such  a 
change ;  and  we  firmly  believe  no  mere  human  power 
can. 

Replies  received  from  nearly  all  the  eighteen 
provinces  reveal  the  fact  that  clanfights  exist  in 
none  of  the  other  provinces  as  in  Fukien  and 
Kwangtung.  If  in  one  or  two  others  they  exist  at 
all,  it  is  in  a  very  modified  form  and  on  very  rare 
occasions.  While  it  is  a  condition  in  nowise  to  be 
proud  of,  yet  nevertheless  in  this  matter  of  clanfights, 
these  two  provinces  differ  from  all  the  others.  Nor 
is  this  the  history  of  a  few  years  we  refer  to  here, 
but  for  the  past  one  hundred  years  the  records  bear 
testimony  to  this  unwholesome  and  uncivilized  state 
of  affairs.  In  the  Kwangtung  province  there  seems 
to  have  been  some  abatement  of  the  evil,  but  no  such 
evidence  can  be  found  so  far  as  Fukien  is  concern- 
ed. 

As  an  illustration  showing  how  these  feuds  and 
animosities  are  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation  the  following  may  be  cited.  More  than 
seventy  years  ago,  two*  families  named  Chung  and 
Chuy  near  Whampoa,  Kwangtung,  became  involved 
in  a  fight  the  origin  of  which  could  not  be  traced, 
but  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  caused  by  the  "real 
or  imagined  wrongs  suffered  by  one  of  the  ancestors 


Chinese  Repository  Vol  IV  Page  412. 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       103 

of  the  Chung  (family)  from  the  hands  of  the  more 
powerful  Chuy  (family).  After  many  vain  attempts 
of  the  former  to  avenge  himself,  on  the  near 
approach  of  his  death  he  bit  off  his  own  finger,  and 
with  the  blood  wrote  the  wrongs  which  he  bequeath- 
ed as  his  chief  legacy  to  his  posterity,  charging  them 
to  exact  to  the  full  debt  of  vengeance."  That  "bloody 
scroll"  was  preserved  for  years,  and,  likely  as  not 
down  to  the  present  time  its  precepts  and  commands 
are  most  vigorously  followed.  "Hence"  as  has  been 
observed,"  a  fruitful  source  of  open  quarrels  between 
the  two  clans;  hence  a  train  of  petty  annoyances 
inflicted  by  the  Chung  upon  the  Chuy ;  and  hence  a 
system  of  retaliation.  If  one  of  either  clan  be  found 
alone  he  is  sure  to  be  beaten  or  robbed  or  both ; 
their  boats  are  often  plundered  and  redress  is  not 
easily  obtained." 

Just  to  indicate  the  baneful  and  disastrous  and 
far-reaching  effect  such  a  system  has  upon  a 
community  it  is  only  necessary  to  record  some 
well  known  and  recent  history  connected  with 
Chuan-chow,  a  prefectual  city  60  miles  north  of 
Amoy.  It  is  said  by  those  who  know  that  in  many 
of  the  streets  shop  after  shop  is  closed  as  the  result 
of  clanfights.  On  account  of  these  fights  it  has  been 
made  impossible  for  the  merchants  to  get  their  goods 
transported  to  their  places  of  business,  consequently 
they  have  had  to  close  up.  If  they  attempted  to 
bring  their  goods  across  country  or  by  boat  the 
carriers  were  waylaid  and  robbed  by  some  clan  in 


104  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

controversy  either  with  the  merchants  themselves  or 
WITH  RELATIVES  OF  THE  MERCHANTS  bearing  the 
same  clan  name.  Hence  it  will  be  seen  that  while 
these  merchants  may  have  had  nothing  whatsoever 
to  do  with  the  quarrel  or  feud,  but  because  they 
belong  to  the  same  clan  they  are  made  to  suffer  just 
the  same,  to  the  "third  and  fourth  generation." 

Sections  of  the  Amoy  region,  North,  South  and 
West,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hweian,  Chuan-chow, 
Tong-an  and  Sio-khe  are  centers  of  ever  recurring 
clanfights;  the  seeds  of  which,  in  some  instances, 
were  sown  years  ago.  Frequently  when  missionaries 
are  traveling  in  the  interior,  they  meet  these  clan- 
fights.  On  either  side,  or  sometimes  on  both  sides 
of  the  road,  the  enemies  will  be  drawn  up  in  fierce 
battle  array,  the  road  being  the  only  intervening 
space.  Hostilities  usually  cease  to  allow  the  for- 
eigner to  pass  unmolested  on  his  way.  Sometimes 
the  battle  will  be  drawn  up  on  both  sides  of  a  narrow 
stream,  the  banks  of  which  may  be  quite  high.  At 
such  times  hostilities  do  not  always  cease  while  the 
foreigner  is  on  his  way.  Frequently  some  of  our 
number  have  experienced  anything  but  comfort 
while  listening  to  the  bullets  whizzing  past  over- 
head. However  no  one  has  ever  suffered  the  least 
injury  or  received  a  scratch. 

Not  infrequently  the  cause  of  these  clanfights 
is  ridiculously  insignificant.  Seven  years  ago  and 
more  pestilence  raged  in  a  certain  village  near  Tong- 
an.  To  save  the  stricken  town  the  idol-doctor  was 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       105 

brought  and  paraded  thro  the  streets  of  the  villages 
of  a  particular  clan.  Unfortunately  the  party 
who  was  carrying  the  idol  trespassed  upon  land 
belonging  to  another  clan  where  there  was  no 
occasion  to  parade  the  idol.  Furious,  and  deeply 
offended  over  such  an  act,  trouble  began  at  once. 
Then  it  grew  until  others  were  drawn  into  the 
conflict,  and  fierce  war  raged  between  the  two 
powerful  lap  and  lu  clans  and  ten  other  clans, — 
sympathizers  or  supporters  of  one  side  or  the  other, 
after  the  order  of  sympathizing  strikers  in  other 
lands.  One  side  lost  more  than  thirty  and  the  other 
more  than  twenty  killed.  Ever  since  the  enmity  has 
been  kept  at  white  heat,  and  woe  betide  any  one  of 
the  lap  clan  who  is  found  unprotected  in  the  territory 
of  the  lu  clan ;  and  vice  versa.  Why  not  ask  for 
government  protection  ?  We  will  have  more  to  say 
about  the  government  in  regard  to  this  matter,  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact  the  principle  of  the  whole  thing 
is  against  appealing  to  the  government.  It  is  only 
when  matters  get  too  hot  and  beyond  all  control 
that  the  government  is  allowed  to  have  a  say. 

Some  years  ago  we  had  a  teacher  named  lap  in 
our  Middle  School,  who  after  marriage  wished  to 
take  his  wife  to  visit  his  relatives  in  the  Tong-an 
region.  To  do  this  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  pass 
thro  places  occupied  by  the  clan  lu;  and  tho  he 
personally  had  nothing  whatsoever  to  do  with  the 
old  quarrel,  it  was  sometime  before  his  courage 
reached  the  sticking  point  to  undertake  the  journey. 


io6  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

That  it  is  possible  to  run  the  gauntlet  and  escape 
capture  was  proved  in  his  case.  He  went  and  came 
in  safety. 

At  other  times  the  cause  of  war  is  still  more 
ridiculously  insignificant  than  the  case  already 
cited.  Some  years  ago  an  old  hen  trespassed  on  a 
neighbor's  property,  and  then  most  unwisely  laid  an 
egg.  A  dispute  arose  at  once  as  to  whom  the  egg 
belonged,  and  it  required  about  two  years  and  a 
half  of  bloody  warfare  of  the  clans  to  settle  this 
small  matter. 

Another  case  which  brought  about  a  conflict 
between  the  clans  was  when  a  certain  garment  a 
woman  was  washing  in  a  stream,  broke  from  its 
moorings  and  wras  carried  away.  It  landed  at  a 
village  some  distance  away,  where,  acting  on  the 
principle  that  "  findings  is  keepings,"  it  was 
promptly  confiscated.  Shortly  afterwards  the  real 
owner  of  the  piece  of  wearing  apparel  discovered 
where  it  was  located  and  demanded  its  return. 
Upon  such  a  method  of  procedure  there  was  at  once 
a  difference  of  opinion,  and  several  fierce  battles 
occurred  before  matters  were  adjusted. 

Sio-khe  is  a  hotbed  for  clanfights.  The  occasions 
are  rare  when  there  is  not  a  disturbance  of  some 
kind  on  the  program.  Recently  efforts  have  been 
made  to  involve  church  members  in  these  bloody 
conflicts,  but  without  success. 

In  April  1909  a  conflict  arose  over  a  difference 
of  opinion  concerning  real  or  imagined  transgression 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       107 

of  a  transportation  monopoly  claim.  The  boats 
which  travel  between  Changchow  and  Sio-khe  have 
a  landing  on  what  is  known  to  be  the  Tiu  clan 
territory,  who  from  time  immemorial  have  claimed 
the  right  to  manage  the  transportation  of  all  goods 
from  this  landing  to  the  different  shops  in  the  village 
to  which  these  articles  are  consigned,  except  when 
the  shops  send  their  own  men  to  carry  the  goods. 

Until  recently  this  unwritten  law  was  faithfully 
observed  when  a  new  shop  was  opened  by  a  new 
arrival  in  the  village  on  land  belonging  to  a  clan  Li. 
The  Li  clan  thought  the  time  had  come  to  set  aside 
the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  evidently 
imagined  that  they  were  able  to  do  it.  They  determin- 
ed therefore  to  make  a  try  for  a  share  of  the 
transportation  business.  In  fact  they  thought  that 
the  Tiu  clan  had  enjoyed  the  monopoly  quite  long- 
enough,  and  inasmuch  as  the  new  shop  was  located 
on  this  territory  they  could  see  no  good  reason  why 
they  should  be  denied  the  right  to  carry  all  goods 
coming  that  way. 

The  Tiu  clan  of  course  had  a  word  or  two  to 
say  against  this  and  entered  a  most  vigorous  protest. 
Failing  to  come  to  a  settlement  they  agreed 
to  settle  the  dispute, — not  before  the  powers  that 
be,  not  a  bit  of  it, — but,  with  stones,  sticks,  spears, 
birdguns,  a  few  Mauser's,  and  such  other  weapons  as 
they  could  scrape  together,  on  the  field  of  battle. 
And  it  was  war  for  a  week  or  more  of  the  hottest 
kind,  tho  not  much  damage  was  done.  The  battle 


io8  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

began  on  the  3Oth  April  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
creek  northwest  of  the  village  and  lasted  from 
3  o'clock  to  6  o'clock  p.m.  Results,  two  dead,  and 
two  wounded  all  on  the  Li  side.  The  next  day 
the  conflict  was  renewed  but  no  casualties  were 
reported.  On  May  2nd  it  rained,  which  dampened 
powder,  stones,  and  quarrels  of  all  kinds, — nothing 
doing.  On  the  3rd,  the  clan  Li  re-in  forced  its 
fighting  numbers  by  enlisting  100  outsiders  to  help 
them  in  the  fight.  The  battle  raged  with  great  fury 
from  4  to  5  p.m.  after  which  the  local  doctors  found 
plenty  to  do  tending  to  the  wounded  on  both  sides, 
and  some  on-lookers  "who  had  managed  to  in- 
terrupt some  of  the  bullets." 

On  the  6th  the  military  mandarin  from  Peng- 
ho  (County  seat)  arrived  on  the  scene  when  open 
hostilities  ceased.  But  from  that  time  the  affair 
became  a  matter  of  finance  alone.  The  question  now 
was,  what  is  this  little  fracas  to  cost,  how  much  is 
the  mandarin  going  to  tax  for  this  little  bit  of  fun? 
The  clan  Tiu  was  requested  to  put  up  $2000.  and  the 
clan  Li  $8000.  One  rather  imagines  the  mandarins 
like  this  sort  of  thing.  There  seems  to  be  money  in 
it  for  them. 

Up  to  this  time  the  church  people  had  been  un- 
molested, for  they  had  previous  to  the  beginning  of 
operations  petitioned  the  headman  and  the  officials 
as  well  to  the  effect,  that  as  they  were  members  of 
the  church,  and  because  they  were  opposed  to  such 
conflicts,  and  moreover  had  no  share  in  the  con- 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       109 

troversy,  they  should  be  left  unmolested  and  be 
exempted  from  all  taxation  arising  out  of  the  conflict. 
At  the  time  all  parties  agreed  to  this,  while  the  local 
government  official,  who  resided  in  the  village, 
( 3&  fij ;  praised  the  attitude  taken  by  the  Christians. 
But  after  the  battle  was  over  and  they  began  to 
face  the  question  of  paying  the  piper,  the  parties 
concerned  were  not  so  willing  to  keep  the  agreement 
they  had  made  at  the  beginning.  But  they  were 
obliged  to,  and  had  to  stand  for  the  whole  amount 
themselves.  Whether  they  were  compelled  to  pay 
the  whole  amount  is  extremely  doubtful,  yet  there 
is  no  doubt,  it  proved  to  be  a  costly  affair  to  both 
parties,  with  the  monopoly  dispute  unsettled.  In 
othes  places  in  the  province  similar  attempts  have 
been  made  to  involve  the  Christians. 

Sometimes  however  the  Christians  do  not  get 
off  so  easily.  In  the  summer  of  1909  a  member  of 
the  Hweian  church,  while  on  his  way  to  attend  the 
Sabbath  services,  was  approached  by  a  man  who 
summoned  him  to  come  along  and  assist  in  a  clan 
fight.  Upon  his  refusing  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  it,  he  was  thrust  thro  with  a  knife  and  died 
shortly  afterwards  from  the  effects  of  the  wound. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  multiply  examples,  for 
sufficient  has  been  said  to  give  a  fair  conception  of 
the  nature  and  frequency  of  clanfights  in  the  region 
around  about  Amoy. 

And  now  as  to  the  questions : — How  does  the 
local  and  central  government  deal  with  these  in- 


no  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

surrections?  Do  they  deal  with  them  at  all?  Do 
they  endeavor  to  suppress  them  ? 

In  the  first  place  it  may  be  stated  that  it  seems 
to  be  the  policy  of  the  government  to  move  along 
the  line  of  least  resistance,  and  if  possible  to  take 
no  notice  of  these  petty  rebellions.  Secondly,  the 
people  apparently  approve  of  such  a  policy,  and 
even  when  there  is  a  serious  loss  of  life  the  clans 
involved  will  take  every  possible  precaution  to  keep 
it  from  the  notice  of  authorities,  and  do  all  in  their 
power  to  hush  the  matter  up.  Sometimes,  however, 
it  is  impossible  to  do  this.  In  some  way  or  other  it 
comes  to  the  notice  of  the  government,  principally 
by  those  who  object  to  being  drawn  into  the  conflict, 
and  are  made  to  suffer  for  it,  when  no  other  course 
is  open  but  to  step  in  and  investigate.  It  usually 
is  the  psychological  moment  and  a  profitable  one  in 
the  end. 

"In  1821  the  Peking  Gazette  mentions  the 
subject  of  a  petition  from  an  inhabitant  of  Chaou- 
chow  Foo  (a  district  in  Kwangtung)  which  says," 
that  four  years  ago  his  kindred  having  refused  to 
assist  two  other  clans  in  their  feuds,  had,  during  that 
period  suffered  most  shocking  cruelties.  Ten  persons 
had  been  killed  and  twenty  men  and  women  taken 
captive,  who  had  their  eyes  dug  out,  their  ears  cut 
off,  their  feet  maimed,  and  so  rendered  useless  for 
life.  Thirty  houses  were  laid  in  ruins  and  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  seized  upon.  Ten  thousand 
taels  of  money  had  been  plundered,  temples  of 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       in 

ancestors  thrown  down,  graves  dug  up,  dykes 
destroyed,  and  water  cut  off  from  the  fields.  "  These 
occurrences,"  states  the  petitioner,  "have  been  re- 
ported to  the  officers  of  the  government  thirty  or 
forty  times,  the  military  has  come  to  seize  the 
offenders  four  times,  but  has  effected  nothing; 
which  has  increased  contempt  for  the  laws  on  the 
part  of  the  perpetrators  of  these  cruelties,  who  have 
recently  associated  themselves  with  eight  other 
leaders  and  organized  the  whole  body  into  four 
bands,  and  taken  solemn  oath  of  attachment  over 
slain  victims.  The  governor  has  ordered  a  reward 
of  one  thousand  pieces  of  gold  to  any  one  who  will 
apprehend  these  persons,  but  for  the  ten  murders 
committed  not  one  person  has  forfeited  his  life  to 
the  laws."  The  case  was  sent  to  Canton  for  investiga- 
tion, but  that  was  the  last  heard  of  it. 

In  1828  the  governor  of  Canton  issued  a 
*  proclamation  against  clans  in  which  he  says,  It  is 
the  custom  of  large  clans  to  seize  the  best  lands  and 
most  useful  streams  for  irrigation,  at  the  expense  of 
the  smaller  clans,  whose  women  they  also  insult.  A 
little  later,  the  judge  puts  forth  an  edict  to  the  same 
effect.  "The  Canton  people,"  he  says,  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  the  control  of  the  laws.  In  the  conduct  of 
affairs  they  delight  in  litigation,  and  have  no  regard 
for  the  preservation  of  life.  In  pursuance  of  the 
feuds  of  the  halls  of  their  ancestors,  they  proceed  to 


*  Chinese  Repository  Vol  IV  Page  565-566 


ii2  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

collect  together  a  multitude  of  their  own  clan's  people, 
and  seizing  spears,  swords  and  other  weapons,  they 
fight  together  and  kill  people." 

A  case  occurred  in  1829*  when  the  poorer 
members  of  a  clan  assembled  a  party  to  the  number 
of  the  twenty-seven  armed  with  knives  and  hatchets, 
to  murder  and  plunder  a  wealthy  head  of  the  same 
clan.  This  they  effected,  and  carried  off  a  con- 
siderable booty.  They  were  apprehended  and  ten 
of  the  ringleaders  sentenced  to  decapitation,  and  the 
rest  to  a  hundred  blows  and  banishment.  This  seems 
to  be  one  instance  where  the  guilty  parties  were 
severely  punished  by  the  powers  that  be. 

In  July  1836,  thirty-six  prisoners  were  brought 
to  Canton  from  the  Tungkwan  district,  being  the 
ringleaders  of  two  parties  who  had  fought  together 
in  private  warfare,  and  in  a  village  of  another  district. 
Upwards  of  a  thousand  men  were  engaged  with 
spears  and  firearms,  killing  thirty-six  persons  on  one 
side,  and  more  than  twenty  were  severely  wounded. 
The  military  was  called  out  to  quell  the  riot.  In  the 
same  year  a  fight  occurred  between  two  parties  on 
the  borders  of  Honan.  One  of  the  parties  brought 
out  guns  on  carriages,  arranged  them  in  line  and 
fired  upon  the  enemy.  In  1831  four  hundred  persons 
are  said  to  have  been  killed  in  battles  in  the  Tungkwan 
district,  and  only  seven  of  their  kindred  appealed  to 
the  government  on  the  occasion.  What  redress  they 
received,  if  any,  is  not  stated. 

*  Chinese  Repository  Vol.  IV   Page  413  566 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       113 

In  the  days  of  long  ago,  it  was  the  custom f  for 
a  band  of  devoted  men  (a  list  of  whom  was  kept) 
to  voluntarily  offer  themselves  to  assume  re- 
sponsibility of  murder  when  such  cases  were  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  government.  (We  shall  see  a 
little  later  a  similar  custom,  tho  somewhat  modified, 
still  in  vogue  in  the  Hing-hua  district,  Fukien). 
Therefore,  when  complaint  was  made,  so  many  of 
the  first  on  the  list  as  were  necessary  came  forward 
.and  confessed  themselves  the  guilty  parties.  They 
would  then  proceed  to  employ  men  to  defend  them, 
.and  produce  witnesses  to  prove  justifiable  homicide, 
or  a  case  that  called  for  mitigated  punishment. 
Sometimes  the  full  penalty  of  the  crime  was  imposed, 
but  more  frequently  it  was  softened  to  transporta- 
tion for  life,  or  the  payment  of  a  heavy  fine.  The 
-compensation  which  tempted  men  to  such  a  compact 
was  purely  a  commercial  one.  They  were  guaran- 
teed reward  in  ,any  case,  but  if  the  issue  happened 
to  be  capital  punishment,  it  was  agreed  that  their 
families  would  be  provided  for,  by  additional 
reward  of  land  and  money,  sometimes  to  the  amount 
of  $300.  This  latter  sum  was  raised  by  a  system  of 
taxation,  which  in  many  cases  fell  as  a  heavy  burden 
-on  the  poor  who  could  neither  avoid  or  easily  pay 
the  tax. 

In  some  parts  fof  this  Fukien  province,  as  has 
been  pointed  out  to  the  author,  such  disturbances  as 
we  are  considering,  are  designated  "Village  or 


f  Chinese  Repository  Vol.  IV.  Page  413 


H4  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Neighborhood  Fights,"  e.g,  in  the  Hing-hua  district. 
Here,  we  are  told,  two  organizations,  called  "The 
Black  and  White  Flags"  practically  form  the  govern- 
ment of  the  place,  and  are  apparently  in  full  control. 
They  are  not  organized  along  clan  lines,  and 
sometimes  the  situation  is  such  that  brother  is  set 
against  brother, — the  members  of  the  same  family 
will  be  discovered  fighting  against  one  another, — 
the  one  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  "Black"  and 
the  other  under  the  banner  of  the  "White  Flag." 
They  are  professional  fighters  and  receive  pay  for 
their  services.  They  hire  themselves  cut  to  fight 
the  battles  of  others.  They  drill,  have  a  code  of 
laws  which  they  enforce,  levy  taxes,  import  the 
most  modern  weapons,  and  both  ignore  and  defy  the 
government. 

That  this  state  of  affairs  exists  also  about 
Amoy  to  a  certain  degree  is  shown  by  what  occurred 
in  the  riot  of  a  few  years  ago  (1904)  when  the 
Customs  House  was  attacked  by  a  mob.  At  that 
time,  the  leaders  of  the  mob,  so  reported,  were 
forty  or  fifty  men  from  Tong-an  who  were  hired  at 
fifty  cents  a  day  to  do  their  nefarious  work.  But  in 
the  doing  of  it  they  were  paid  in  coin  not  taken  inta 
consideration,  as  several  were  killed  in  the  combat 
that  followed. 

The  ludicrous  part  of  it  was  the  effort  of  their 
friends  to  establish  a  claim  of  damages.  They  tried 
to  make  a  plea  upon  the  basis  that  "they  (the  rioters ) 
hired  themselves  out  not  to  be  shot  and  killed,  but 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHTS       115 

simply  to  raise  a  row,  i.e,  make  a  riot."  They  made 
the  riot  all  right,  and  the  rest  followed.  It  is  not 
strange  after  all  that  the  plea  received  but  little  if 
any  sympathy,  and  the  pleaders  no  satisfaction 
whatsoever.  However  no  one  can  help  pitying  such 
folly  and  ignorance. 

The  cause  of  these  rights  at  Hing-hua, — rarely, 
if  ever,  reported  to  the  authorities, — is  almost 
invariably  due  to  lack  of  water  for  the  fields.  The 
towns  near  the  foothills  drain  the  streams  which  of 
course  deprive  the  farmers  lower  down,  consequently 
retaliation,  reprisals,  and  endless  fighting  follow. 

But  this  is  not  always  the  cause  as  the  follow, 
ing  story  J  illustrates.  A  certain  village  A.  had 
many  sons ;  another,  B.  had  many  daughters.  The 
idol  said,  "  the  child-bearing  women  of  B.  must  go 
on  a  certain  day  and  pluck  ears  of  wheat  from  the 
fields  of  A."  Now  A.  knew  all  about  it  and  raised  no 
objections.  Year  after  year  the  instruction  of  the 
idol  was  quietly  followed.  Then  did  the  sons  of  B. 
shout  too  loud, — or  something  of  the  kind,  for  the 
sons  of  A.  immediately  declared  that  the  women  of 
B.  were  plundering  and  destroying  the  fields  of  A., 
who  mdely  drove  them  away.  Then  there  was  war. 
The  braves  of  B.  resented  the  insult,  and  the  fight 
has  been  re  fought  annually  for  the  past  thirty- 
years,  with  casualties  on  both  sides. 

\  Rev.  F.  Ohlinger. 


n6  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

In  this :  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  work 
on  the  construction  of  the  Kowloon-Canton  Railroad 
had  to  be  suspended  in  August  1910  on  account  of  a 
raging  battle  which  took  place  for  two  days  in  that 
region.  A  score  or  more  of  men  were  killed. 

Sometimes  most  barbarous  cruelties  are  inflict- 
ed upon  an  enemy  and  his  family.  It  is  reported 
by  the  natives  themselves,  that  at  one  time,  not  so 
long  ago  in  the  county  of  Hweian,  a  man  was 
seized,  frightfully  mutilated  and  then  killed.  But 
even  that  did  not  satisfy  the  murderers,  for  they 
immediately  set  to  work  and  tied  the  dead  body  to 
the  living  body  of  the  man's  mother,  leaving  the 
poor  woman  to  extricate  herself  the  best  way  she 
could.  In  this  horrible  plight  she  was  discovered 
and  set  free.  This  is  too  gross  almost  to  be  believed, 
and  yet  it  was  told  to  a  missionary  as  a  fact.  And 
— so  far  as  known,  never  a  move  was  made  to 
punish  these  wretches. 

Tho  these  fights  hitherto  have  received  little 
attention,  if  any,  from  the  government,  a  change 
is  taking  place.  In  the  South  China  Morning  Post 
of  July  1 9th,  1910  the  following  item  of  news  appear- 
ed. Viceroy  Yuan  Shu-hsuan,  of  Kwangtung,  has 
memorialized  the  Throne  on  the  subject  of  clan  and 
other  armed  fights,  which  are  very  prevalent  in 
Kwangtung.  The  practice,  he  says,  has  grown  to  a 
great  extent  and  gives  rise  to  grave  dangers  of 
anarchists  and  rebels  availing  themselves  of  the 


CLANSHIP  AND  CLANFIGHT  S         117 

opportunity  to  instigate  risings.  He  suggests  that 
both  active  and  passive  measures  of  remedy  be  taken, 
and  asks  for  permission  for  the  troops  to  kill  armed 
combatants  and  that  a  search  may  be  conducted  for 
arms  in  every  house. 

One  of  the  most  forcible  papers  read  at  the 
Fukien  Provincial  Assembly,  that  met  for  the  first 
time  on  Oct.  I4th  1910,  dealt  with  this  very  matter 
in  no  mincing  manner,  which  was  listened  to  in 
painful  silence  by  the  Viceroy  and  other  high 
dignataries  of  the  province.  It  is  said  that  it  was  a 
most  courageous  arraignment  of  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment, and  unhesitatingly  placed  the  blame  of  exist- 
ing conditions"  at  the  yarned s  door."  The  paper 
brought  out  this  additional  fact  that,  "clans", 
"villages",  or  "flags"  often  sent  for  hired  help  to 
Amoy  when  battles  were  impending.  These  imported 
"troops"  were  known  by  a  term  meaning  something 
like  "Imported  Birds."  A  stated  wage  is  agreed 
upon  beforehand,  so  much  per  day  being  guaranteed 
in  case  of  death,  wounds,  sickness,  or  capture.  The 
paper  suggested  remedies,  but, — as  usual,  fighting 
continued  last  summer  (1910)  unabated  in  the  Hing- 
hua  and  other  districts  of  Fukien. 

The  clan  system,  or  clanship  in  this  part  of 
China  is  no  small  problem  to  be  solved.  It  is  not 
only  a  great  factor  in  the  political  world,  but  it  is 
one  of  the  most  disturbing  elements  any  country 
could  possibly  be  afflicted  with,  as  it  is  a  perennial 
source  of  turmoil  and  strife,  which  often  ends  in 


n8  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

great  loss  of  life  and  wanton  destruction  of  property. 
It  is  moreover  a  very  disturbing  element  in 
missionary  work.  In  some  parts  of  the  L.M.S. 
territory  work  has  actually  had  to  stop  and  the 
chapels  closed  while  these  fights  were  in  progress. 

They  sometimes  interfere  with  a  lad's  school- 
days. Probably  a  goodly  number  of  boys  have 
their  school-days  brought  to  a  sudden  end  on  account 
of  these  disturbances.  Chancing  to  meet  one  a  short 
time  ago,  who  lately  was  a  student  in  the  Union 
Middle  School  here  in  Kolongsu,  the  author  asked 
him  why  he  had  not  returned?  The  reply  was, 
"My  people  have  been  killed  in  a  clan  fight."  He 
was  obliged  therefore  to  remain  at  home  and  help 
provide  for  the  family. 

Probably  a  large  number  of  so  called  cases  of 
persecution  could  be  traced  back  to  some  old  feud 
which  possibly  was  started  generations  before. 
Not  that  there  are  no  genuine  cases  of  persecution, 
there  are  too  maiay  of  them,  the  unfortunate  thing  is 
the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  between  the  false  and 
the  true.  Because  so  many  men  come  from  wrong 
motives,  undoubtedly  some  come  to  get  help  to  fight 
their  battles,  which  means  nothing  more,  nothing 
less,  than  some  old  feud  that  has  filtered  down  from 
one  generation  to  another. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
PAGODA  SHADOWS. 

If  you  were  to  approach  the  city  of  Amoy  from 
the  sea,  upon  entering  the  harbor  probably  the  first 
object  that  would  attract  your  attention  would  be  a 
tall  'pagoda  built  of  solid  masonry,  some  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  high,  on  the  mountain  near  at  hand.  The 
name  of  it  is  "Lam  Tai-bu,"  z>.,  the  "Southern 
Sentinel." 

From  the  mountain  top  a  fine  view  of  the  country 
round  is  afforded.  On  a  clear  day  it  is  said,  the  far 
away  mountains  of  Formosa  may  be  seen,  while  to 
the  west  and  north  the  hills  and  valleys  present  a 
picture  of  surpassing  beauty.  Numerous  islands 
nestle  all  along  the  shore,  some  of  them  pagoda- 
crowned.  Lift  your  eyes  a  little  and  as  far  as  your 
vision  extends  you  may  see  range  upon  range  of 
mountains,  stretching  away  in  the  distance.  They  lift 
themselves  up  from  little  hills  to  mighty  towering 
peaks,  thousands  of  feet  high.  On  one  or  two 
of  these  high  places  stand,  like  some  bold  sentinels, 
the  temples  of  superstition  and  false  gods — the 
pagodas  casting  gloomy  shadows  upon  the  land. 
Huge  boulders  of  rock  rising  to  an  elevation  of 
many  hundred  feet  and  bristling  pines  line  many  a 
mountain  side.  Looking  a  little  nearer  we  see  the 
small  hills  terraced  one  above  the  other  covered 
from  base  to  summit  with  plats  of  wheat,  barley, 


120  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

rice  and  other  cereals  or  vegetables.  And  on  many 
another  hillside  we  see  the  tombs  of  the  dead 
scattered  about.  Choice  spots  they  are  for  the  last 
resting  place. 

There  are  quite  a  number  of  pagodas  big  and 
little  about  Amoy,  some  of  them  in  a  tumble-down 
condition.  Lam  Tai-bu  stands  out  more  boldly  and 
conspicuously  than  all  others.  It  is  difficult  to  lose 
sight  of  it.  It  seems  to  follow  you  everywhere.  The 
mountain  on  which  it  stands  is  about  1,700  feet 
high,  so  \vherever  you  wander,  though  it  be  miles 
and  miles  away  from  Amoy,  if  you  look  back  you 
will  see  that  old  pagoda  standing  out  against  the  sky 
like  some  ancient  sentinel,  "forming  a  very  beautiful 
and  characteristic  feature  in  Chinese  landscape.'r 

This  pagoda  was  built  seven  or  eight  hundred 
years  ago,  and  may  therefore  be  considered  an 
ancient  piece  of  China.  For  what  purpose  pagodas 
in  general  were  built  is  not  really  known.  Perhaps 
to  be  repositories  of  ancient  relics,  or  to  allay  some 
superstitious  fear,  or  to  commemorate  some  great 
event  or  notable  man.  They  contain  no  idols,  but 
they  do  contain  a  lot  of  rubbish.  They  are  not, 
therefore,  places  of  worship.  The  Chinese,  however, 
revere  them  and  look  upon  them  with  superstitious 
awe.  Natives  and  foreigners  alike  delight  to  make 
pilgrimages  to  this  particular  one,  and  the  group  at 
the  base  of  the  pagoda  in  the  picture  is  a  party  of 
missionaries  that  visited  this  spot  Dec.  3ist,  1900. 
A'  great  feat  for  the  more  venturesome  who  visit 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  121 

this  place  is  to  crawl  up,  through  the  dust  of  ages, 
on  the  unevenly  projecting  slabs  of  stone  which  jut 
out  from  the  inside  walls,  to  the  topmost  window 
and  look  down  upon  the  timid  ones  below. 

The  mountain  itself  looks  desolate  enough. 
Very  little  vegetation  appears  on  its  surface.  Bare, 
black  rock  and  stone  abound  everywhere.  But  this 
pagoda  seems  to  enhance  the  gloom  and  desolation 
of  the  vicintiy  as  its  shadows  fall  upon  it. 

A  little  further  to  the  westward  is  a  small 
island  with  nothing  on  it  save  a  pagoda.  It  is  called 
"Pagoda  Island."  Our  home  holds  these  two  monu- 
ments in  full  view.  Our  attention  is  always  directed 
to  one  or  the  other.  How  they  seem  to  unroll  the 
history  of  the  past.  For  centuries  they  have  stood 
as  phantom  sentinels,  not  only  watching  the  onward 
flight  of  time,  but  as  superstitious  guardians  of  the 
harbor.  Generations  have  come  and  gone  but  they 
have  only  been  watchers.  They  have  been  no  true 
guardians,  they  have  afforded  no  protection.  Many 
foes  have  passed  them  by,  leaving  desolation  beyond 
the  harbor.  Their  worshippers  have  looked  upon 
them  with  awe  and  veneration,  passing  away  to  their 
long  home  with  vain  hopes.  They  have  long  been 
witnesses  of  ignorance  and  superstition  in  grossest 
forms,  which  they  could  in  nowise  relieve.  Cold  and 
lifeless  themselves,  and  all  that  they  represent,  they 
never  could  point  to  any  source  of  comfort  or  relief 
to  those  in  the  throes  of  sorrow  or  grief.  They 
have  never  been  representatives  of  charity.  Those 


122  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

about  them  have  died  without  much  pity.  Ignor- 
ance has  not  been  bliss  in  this  instance.  The  gentle 
touch,  a  kind  word,  a  helping  hand  these  monuments 
have  rarely  witnessed.  Of  a  "Friend  that  sticketh 
closer  than  a  brother,"  of  unselfish  motives,  of  noble 
principles,  of  the  great  possibilities  of  life,  these 
monuments  never  have  taught.  On  the  contrary 
they  have  but  fostered  this  very  ignorance  and 
superstition  we  see  about  us  in  the  daily  lives  of 
this  people. 

Like  some  stones  to  keep  in  mind  some  event, 
so  these  stones  keep  before  each  passing  generation : 
these  are  the  gods  our  fathers  worshipped,  worship 
them ;  beware  lest  ye  anger  them ;  follow  the  gods 
of  your  fathers,  or  perish.  So  when  we  look  upon 
these  pagodas  we  cannot  help  thinking  of  all  they 
mean,  and  all  that  they  represent  and  we  seem  to 
feel  the  shadows  they  cast. 

But  these  people  are  not  only  worshipping 
false  gods,  they  are  also  worshipping  the  spirits 
of  their  dead  ancestors  and  relatives — as  they  reside 
in  graves,  or  "Ancestral  tablets."  When  a  person 
dies,  it  is  claimed  that  a  three-fold  division  of  his 
soul,  or  spirit,  occurs :  one  remains  in  the  grave, 
one  enters  the  tablet,  and  the  other  enters  the 
spirit  world.  It  is  estimated  that  the  Chinese 
people,  in  the  whole  Empire,  spend  $300,000,000 
annually  in  the  worship  of  the  spirits  of  their 
ancestors.  One  little  village  near  Amoy  (Kang- 
thati)  alone  expends  $100,000. 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  123 

How  is  this  amount  used  ?  By  providing  mock 
money,  mock  servants,  mock  houses  and  furniture, 
mock  horses,  etc.,  etc.  These  things  are  made  of 
paper,  and  burned  in  the  belief  that  in  the  process 
of  burning  they  are  turned  into  the  real  articles  in 
the  spirit  world  for  their  ancestors'  use.  Besides 
these,  entertainments  must  be  provided  for  the  dead, 
and  so  the  theatres  furnish  the  amusement. 

Yet  another  thing  must  be  done :  feasts  must 
be  prepared  for  the  starving  spirit ;  feasts  of  fowl, 
roasted  pig,  boiled  rice,  wine,  cakes  and  sweets. 
There  is  one  principal  feast  occurring  annually : 

The  Feast  of  Tombs. 

The  custom  is  an  old  one,  having  been  institut- 
ed five  or  six  hundred  years  before  the  Christian 
era,  about  the  time  of  Confucius— perhaps  by  that 
great  sage  himself.  Until  his  day  there  were  no 
mounds  over  the  burial  places  of  the  dead.  Graves 
— if  there  were  any — were  levelled  off  even  with  the 
ground. 

When  the  father  and  mother  of  Confucius 
died  he  changed  all  this  by  having  a  mound  raised 
over  the  grave.  We  are  told  that  there  is  no 
mention  at  all  of  tombs  or  graves  before  the  time 
of  Confucius — the  word  "tomb"  occurring  for  the 
first  time  in  the  writings  of  the  sage.  It  is  supposed 
that  the  dead  were  thrown  into  ditches  or  some 
out-of-the-way  place.  However  true  or  false  the 
supposition  may  be,  it  is  a  well  authenticated  fact 
that  this  rite  was  not  established  before  the  Con- 
fucian period. 


124  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  feast  occurs  in  the  spring,  and  as  good 
fortune,  domestic  prosperity,  honor  and  riches, 
depend  upon  the  observance  thereof,  the  practice  is 
universal.  To  neglect  the  rite,  moreover,  be  he 
official  or  a  "beggar-chief,"  would  not  only  be 
considered  an  unpardonable  offence  against  all 
moral  prosperity,  but  a  most  flagrant  breach  of 
filial  duty.  In  these  parts,  where  repose  the  bodies 
of  no  great  sage  or  honored  saint,  the  feast  of 
tombs  is  not  much  of  an  event,  and  would  call 
forth  but  little  notice,  but  in  other  places  where 
are  the  tombs  of  illustrious  men,  most  elaborate 
arrangements  are  made  and  the  ceremonies  perform- 
ed with  greatest  display.  Members  of  clans  and 
families  meet  at  the  ancestral  halls  where  pigs  and 
sheep  are  slaughtered,  and  all  sorts  of  offerings, 
such  as  fowls,  rice,  fish,  fruits  and  liquors  are 
furnished  with  extravagance.  The  day  is  made  a 
veritable  gala  day,  or  as  Professor  Legge  puts  it  "a. 
grand  family  reunion  where  the  dead  and  living 
meet,  eating  and  drinking  together,  where  the 
living  worship  the  dead  and  the  dead  bless  the 
living.  Dressed  in  gorgeous  robes  (?>.,  Chinese 
gorgeousness)  with  banners  flying  and  gongs  beat- 
ing and  horns  tooting,  bearing  the  sacrifices  that 
have  been  collected  at  the  Hall,  the  company  of 
men,  women  and  children,  march  forth  in  proces- 
sion to  the  graves  of  the  honored  dead." 

Upon  reaching   the  cemetery  they  cover  the 
graves  with  layers  of  earth  and  paper,  as  we  would 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  125 

.strew  the  graves  of  our  dead  with  flowers  and  then 
offer  the  good  things  they  have  brought.  Naturally 
the  bulk  of  the  viands  remains  after  this  offering 
has  been  made  and  upon  these  the  company,  the 
old  and  the  young,  "feast  themselves  to  the  full, 
making  merry,  carousing  and  wrangling  until  the 
'wee  small  hours'  of  the  morning." 

The  ceremony  of  presenting  the  offering  is 
both  interesting  and  imposing.  Some  time  ago  I 
came  across  a  vivid  account  of  the  order  o£  this 
ceremony  in  an  old  book.  Practically  the  descrip- 
tion runneth  on  this  wise : 

Personae:  "Lord  of  the  sacrifice,"  "master  of  ceremonies," 
"reader  of  prayers,"  "two  stewards,"  "baud  of  musicians, 
drummers,  gong-beaters,  etc.,  etc." 

When  all  is  ready,  the  ' 'master  of  ceremonies"  gives  the 
word:  "let  the  officials  take  their  places." 

Master:  "Strike  up  the  softer  music."  Here  the  smaller 
instruments  begin  to  play. 

Master:  "Kneel."  Here  the  whole  company  kneel,  the 
priest  in  the  centre,  then  the  aged  and  the  honorable,  next  the 
children  and  the  grandchildren,  arranged  in  order. 

Master:  "Present  the  incense."  Here  the  stewards  take 
three  sticks  of  incense,  and  present  them  to  the  priest,  who, 
bowing,  plants  them  in  a  vase  in  front  of  the  tomb. 

Master:  "Rise  up."  They  all  rise. 

Master:  "Kneel."  They  all  kneel. 

Master:  "Knock  heads."  They  knock  the  heads  on  the 
ground. 

Master:  "Again  knock  heads."  They  knock. 

Master:  "Knock  heads  a  third  time."  And  they  knock 
away  again. 

Master:  "Fall  prostrate."  They  touch  the  ground  with 
hands,  knees  and  forehead. 


126  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Master'.  "Read  the  prayers."  The  reader  approaches- 
the  front  of  the  tomb,  holding  in  his  hand  a  piece  of  white 
paper,  on  which  is  written  one  of  the  sacrificial  forms  of 
prayer  ....  The  form  states  the  time;  the  name  of  the  clan 
which  comes  to  worship  and  offer  sacrifice;  to  grant  protection 
and  prosperity  to  their  descendants,  that  in  all  future  genera- 
tions they  may  wear  official  caps,  may  enjoy  riches  and  honors, 
and  never  become  extinct;  that  by  the  help  of  the  souls  in 
Hades,  the  departed  spirits  and  the  living  on  earth  may 
happy  and  illustrious  throughout  myriads  of  ages. 

Master:  "Offer  up  the  gold  and  the  precious  things."  The 
stewards  present  gifts,  papers,  (flimsy — not  precious)  to  the 
priest  who,  bowing  lays  them  down  before  the  grave. 

Master:  "Strike  np  the  grand  music."  Here  grandest 
strain's  of  music  burst  forth. 

Master:  "Burn  the  gtfld  and  silver  and  precious  things." 
Here  the  youngsters  come  in  for  the  fun,  burning  the  paper, 
firing  off  crackers  and  rockets,  etc.,  until  they  are  as  happy  as 
a  "young  hopeful"  on  a  Fourth  of  July  morning. 

Ancestral    Worship. 

Closely  allied  with  the  shadows  noted  above 
is  the  universal  custom  of  Ancestor  Worship, 
nowhere  more  prevalent  than  in  this  district. 

Among  the  interesting  legendary  tales  with 
which  Chinese  literature  abounds,  none  is  more 
beautiful  than  "The  Legend  of  the  Tablet."  It 
runs  somewhat  on  this  wise : 

Sometime  during  the  Han  Dynasty  B.C.  206, 
to  A.D.  25,  a  poor  old  widow,  with  her  children, 
was  struggling  with  poverty  to  maintain  her  family 
in  food  and  clothing.  She  was  a  kind  and  loving 
mother,  sparing  neither  time  nor  patience,  and 
ever  enduring  suffering  if  thereby  she  could  only 
provide  some  pleasure  for  the  loved  ones.  Such 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  127 

devotion  and  love  won  the  affection  and  reciprocal 
love  from  all  her  children  save  one.  This  one  son 
neither  kindness  nor  love  could  touch,  labor  she 
never  so  hard  to  please  him.  He  found  fault  with 
everything.  His  dinner  was  either  too  hot  or  too 
cold,  too  early  or  too  late ;  his  clothes  too  thick  or 
too  thin;  and  every  demonstration  on  his  mother's 
part  met  with  snarls  and  growls  on  his.  The  lad 
was  a  shepherd  by  occupation,  and  one  day  he 
failed  to  put  in  an  appearance  at  dinner  time.  The 
mother,  notwithstanding  all  the  abuse  she  had 
received  at  his  hand,  was  exceedingly  anxious  about 
his  non-appearance.  She  delayed  the  meal,  and 
waited  and  waited  until  she  found  there  was  no 
need  of  waiting  longer,  when  she  took  a  little 
basket,  filling  it  full  of  the  choicest  things,  and  set 
out  to  find  her  absent  boy.  She  found  him — not 
starving,  but  desperately  sullen.  The  kind  and 
thoughtful  deed  of  his  mother,  instead  of  awakening 
affection,  aroused  his  anger  to  frenzy.  Becoming 
violently  enraged,  he  began  to  abuse  her,  when,  in 
an  uncontrollable  fit  of  passion,  he  struck  her  a 
blow  that  sent  her  staggering  on  the  brink  of  a 
precipice  near  which  they  were  standing,  and 
before  she  could  recover  herself,  she  went  over  and 
down  into  the  abyss  below.  Frantic  with  grief  now 
the  shepherd  boy  rushed  madly  down  the  moun- 
tain-side in  search  of  his  mother;  but,  look  where 
he  would,  not  a  sign  of  her  could  he  discover.  The 
only  thing  he  could  see  was  a  tiny  "wooden  tablet," 


128  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

into  which,  he  was  led  to  believe,  the  spirit  of  his 
mother  had  entered.  Taking  it  up  tenderly  he 
carried  it  to  his  desolate  home,  and  ever  after 
made  it  his  shrine. 

But  the  foundations  of  ancestral  worship  are 
not  laid  on  shadowy,  visionary  soil  of  myths  and 
legends,  but  on  substantial,  solid,  historical  ground. 
Ancestral  worship  has  its  origin  both  in  the  family 
and  nation  and  is  both  a  family  and  a  national  cus- 
tom. It  is  as  old  as  the  empire  itself.  Contempor- 
ary with  the  birth  of  the  nation,  it  has  become  so 
interwoven  in  the  warp  and  woof  of  its  history, 
that  to  attempt  to  disengage  the  strands  would 
be  to  destroy  the  whole  fabric.  And,  moreover, 
it  is  considered  to  be  of  more  than  historical 
significance — viz.,  the  keystone  by  which  this 
empire  is  cemented  together,  yea,  the  very  strong- 
hold of  its  life.  No  other  one  thing  in  its  entire 
history  has  tended  more  to  bind  this  people 
together  or  to  perpetuate  the  nation  than  this  uni- 
versal respect  (whether  sincere  or  a  sham)  for  the 
living  and  devotion  for  the  dead;  and  no  other  one 
thing  has  so  bound  them  to  the  dead  past  or  so 
diverted  their  attention  from  the  living  future.  And 
so  it  has  been  said,  "Had  it  not  been  for  this  system 
of  'filial  piety'  (filial  piety  is  the  comprehensive 
term,  and  includes  'ancestral  worship')  and  'ances- 
tral worship'  there  would  be  no  China  now,  only  a 
medley  of  contending  tribes  and  opposing  nations." 
Another  writer  adds,  "It  was  supposed  to  be  the 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  129 

glory  of  the  early  statesmen  and  sages  to  have  cor- 
rectly apprehended  the  natural  feeling  of  filial  duty, 
so  as  to  make  it  an  engine  for  perfect  government 
of  the  family,  the  state,  and  the  empire." 

Confucius,  who  claimed  for  himself  nothing 
more  than  to  be  a  transmitter,  was  only  giving  ex- 
pression to  the  traditions  of  fifteen  generations 
when  he  said,  "Of  all  actions  of  men,  there  is  none 
greater  than  filial  piety,  and  in  filial  piety  there  is 
nothing  greater  than  reverential  awe  of  one's 
father."  Again  he  says,  "The  worship  of  parents 
is  part  of  the  duty  of  filial  piety."  When  the  sage 
says  that  it  is  a  "part  of  the  duty,"  we  do  not  under- 
stand him  to  mean  a  fractional  part,  but  that  the 
essential,  if  not  the  all-important  part,  is  ancestral 
worship  in  filial  piety. 

For  while  the  duty  of  filial  piety  may  demand 
the  strengthening  of  "the  bonds  of  family  union" 
and  the  stimulating  "to  active  charity,"  and  while 
it  may  "cherish  self-respect  and  impose  moral 
restraint"  from  the  living  (more  of  it  in  books, 
however,  than  in  real  practice,),  yet  its  larger  and 
irrevocable  demands  are  witnessed  in  the  time  and 
money  expended  and  the  adoration  and  worship 
bestowed  upon  the  dead. 

The  practice  of  erecting  wooden  tablets  is  said 
to  have  begun  at  the  end  of  the  Second  Dynasty  B. 
C.  2205.  The  kings  of  Chau  (Chiu  Dynasty  B.  C. 
1122-249)  made  an  innovation  when  living  persons 
were  substituted  for  the  wooden  affairs.  This 


130  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

practice,  however,  passed  away  with  the  dynasty  in 
which  it  prevailed. 

There  is  a  tradition,  too,  that,  at  first — whenever 
that  may  have  been,  these  tablets  were  in  the  form 
of  carved  images  made  to  resemble  the  deceased, 
and  which  had  the  power  of  expressing  their  feel- 
ings. For  example,  one  of  them  upon  being 
struck  by  some  offended  person,  wept  copiously 
over  the  insult ;  another  upon  seeing  a  member  of 
the  family  suffering  from  a  wound,  was  moved  to 
tears  out  of  sheer  sympathy. 

But  who  the  originator  was,  or  what  the  date 
of  its  institution,  probably  never  will  be  known. 
The  only  fact  we  are  sure  of  is,  that  the  tablets 
came  into  use  a  long,  long  time  ago  and  are  wor- 
shipped by  400,000,000 — if  not  more  of  the  Chinese 
people  to-day.  The  supposition,  or  belief,  as  noted 
before  is,  that  at  death  the  soul  of  a  person  sepa- 
rates into  three  parts;  one  of  which  enters  the  spirit 
world,  one  the  grave,  and  the  other  the  tablet. 

The  ancestral  tablets  that  are  found  in  the 
homes  vary  in  size  from  nine  inches  to  a  foot  in 
height ;  from  two  to  four  inches  in  width,  and  about 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 

Some  are  made  of  fragrant  wood,  are  elabora- 
tely carved  and  gilded  and  cost  several  dollars ; 
others  are  made  of  cheaper  wood,  unadorned  and 
can  be  purchased  for  a  few  cash.  They  are  com- 
posed of  three  pieces,  a  pedestal  three  or  four 
inches  square  and  the  two  uprights,  one  a  little 


AMOY-CHIANG-CHIU  RAILROAD  STATION,  AMOY. 


EMIGRANTS  LEAVING  AMOY. 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  131 

longer  than  the  other.  Those  found  in  Ancestral  Halls 
and  Temples  where  the  clans  meet  several  times  a 
year  to  worship  ancestors,  sages  and  other  worthies 
as  the  case  may  be,  are  much  larger,  and  are  made 
of  only  two  pieces  of  common  wood;  a  pedestal 
and  one  upright.  In  the  case  of  the  former  (those 
in  the  homes)  the  two  perpendicular  pieces  are  of 
unequal  length ;  the  front  one  is  the  shorter  by  an 
inch  or  two;  the  back  piece,  the  longer,  terminates 
in  a  knob,  which  projects  forward  sufficiently  to 
provide  space  for  a  mortise  into  which  a  corres- 
ponding small  tenon  on  the  shorter  piece  enters, 
thus  holding  it  in  its  place.  The  two  at  the  bottom 
are  inserted  rather  loosely  in  a  mortise  provided  in 
the  pedestal.  Sometimes  the  knob  projects  a  half  an 
inch  or  more  over  the  shorter  piece,  tho  not  usually. 
On  the  front  of  the  pedestal,  of  the  more 
elaborate  tablets,  there  is  carved  an  image  of  a 
fabulous  animal  and  on  the  front  of  the  knob  the 
head  of  the  Chinese  dragon ;  on  the  borders  of  the 
shorter  piece  there  is  engraved  side  views  of  the 
dragon.  The  inscriptions  on  these  tablets,  in  general 
are : — 

( i )  On  the  front  piece,  running  down  between 
the  engravings  will  be  found  the  name  of  ths 
reigning  dynasty,  the  title,  if  he  had  any,  of  the 
deceased  person,  his  surname  and  given  name.  This 
part  of  the  inscriptions  may  be  engraved  in  raised 
script,  or  it  may  be  done  simply  with  black  ink,  and 
then  painted  or  varnished  over.  The  name  of  the 


132  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

son  who  erects  the  tablet  also  appears  at  the  bottom 
of  the  inscription  at  the  left  hand  but  in  smaller 
characters. 

(2)  The  inner  surfaces  are  left  unpainted,  and 
on  them  are  inscribed  in  ink  always,  the  date  (day 
and  hour  included)  of  the  birth  and  death  of  the 
deceased  and  place  of  burial.  There  are  no  inscrip- 
tions on  the  back  of  the  tablet.  They  form  good 
records  and  sometimes  are  found  very  useful. 

The  ancestral  tablet  is  always  inherited  by  the 
eldest  son,  as  well  as  all  the  tablets  belonging  to  and 
in  the  possession  of  his  father  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death.  These  all  become  the  property  of 
the  eldest  son  upon  the  decease  of  the  father.  It  is 
a  sacred  gift,  and  probably  the  one  most  cherished 
of  the  entire  patrimony. 

Should  a  man  chance  to  have  no  son  and  heir 
to  these  things,  he  will  adopt  one,  so  as  to  both 
perpetuate  the  ancestral  name,  and  to  retain  the 
tablet  in  the  family  in  order  that  his  spirit  and  the 
spirits  of  his  ancestors  may  receive  everything  that 
is  necessary  for  their  happiness  and  welfare. 
Daughters,  of  little  account,  do  not  possess  a  tablet 
as  they  are  expected  to  worship  the  tablets  of  their 
husbands1:  So  long  as  the  family  remains  an  un- 
broken unit  all  the  sons  worship  the  tablet  of  the 
household.  But  when  "the  silver  cord  is  loosed"  and 
a  division  of  property  takes  place,  each  of  the 
younger  sons  may  erect  a  sort  of  duplicate  tablet  of 
his  own,  but  a  decidedly  different  affair  from  that 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  133 

in  the  possession  of  the  eldest.  It  consists  of  a 
single  piece  of  wood,  ten  or  twelve  inches  square, 
fitted  into  a  frame  which  is  painted  or  varnished 
either  red  or  black.  On  it  will  be  written  or  en- 
graved a  sentence  indicating  that  the  tablet  is  erected 
in  memory  of  all  his  ancestors.  There  will  be  found 
the  names  of  all  his  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors 
beginning  with  his  own  father  and  mother,  going 
back  from  three  to  five  generations,  his  father's 
name  occupying  the  place  nearest  the  right  edge  of 
the  tablet,  and  his  mother's  on  the  opposite  edge, 
the  other  names,  in  order,  approach  the  center. 
This  tablet,  like  the  other,  also  passes  into  the 
possession  of  the  eldest  son. 

Ancestral  tablets  of  the  homes  are  generally 
worshipped  for  about  five  generations,  but  some- 
times longer.  A  family  in  Canton  is  mentioned  as 
having  2,200  tablets  in  their  home,  arranged  from 
above  downward,  the  oldest  being  at  the  top. 

Sometimes,  to  prevent  an  overburdensome 
accumulation,  the  tablets  are  either  buried  in  the 
graves  of  the  persons  they  represent,  or  they  are 
burned  to  ashes.  Then  there  are  Ancestral  Halls, 
of  the  particular  clans,  where  hundreds,  if  not 
thousands,  of  tablets  of  ancient  ancestors  are 
deposited  and  reverently  guarded. 

These  tablets  of  all  descriptions  are  worshipped 
on  stated  occasions  and  according  to  established 
custom,  viz: on  the  1st  and  I5th,  of  each  month; 
on  all  anniversaries  and  joyous  occasions;  on  all 


i34  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

days  attending  marriage  ceremonies;  numerous 
festivals ;  and  when  any  important  event  occurs  in 
a  man's  life  which  in  any  wise  affects  his  future, 
and  when  success  and  good  fortune  have  been 
attained. 

Thus  far  the  tablets,  which  have  been  described, 
are  those  belonging  to  the  paternal  side  of  the  house. 
Just  a  short  description  of  a  tablet  belonging  to  the 
maternal  side  of  the  house  will  be  in  order. 

These  tablets  are  similar  to  the  others,  not  only 
the  mother's  name  appears — that  is  her  own  sur- 
name— but  the  name  of  her  husband  also  is  inscribed 
with  hers.  This  is  a  small  tablet,  being  from  the 
base  9^  inches  high,  2^  inches  wide,  and  ^3  inch 
thick — the  two  pieces.  The  pedestal  is  3  %  inches 
square  and  one  inch  thick.  From  the  dates,  we  find 
that  it  was  erected  A.D.  1810.  The  pedestal  is  all 
worm-eaten,  and  the  ink  inscriptions  on  the  outside 
are  nearly  obliterated,  and  so  much  as  can  be  read 
there  are,  the  mother's  name  of  the  clan,  O  (aw), 
and  the  husband's  name  of  the  clan,  Tan.  There 
appear  to  be  other  characters  difficult  to  distinguish 
— one,  Hian-pi,  a  title  given  to  a  deceased  mother, 
usually  found  on  gravestones.  There  is  no  name  of 
the  reigning  dynasty,  so  far  as  may  be  seen,  but  it 
must  have  been  the  present  Manchu  Dynasty,  as 
may  be  seen  from  the  inscriptions  inside.  The  son's 
name  is  not  legible. 

On  the  inner  surface  of  the  longer  piece  there 
is  this  inscription  : — 


PAGODA  SHADOWvS  135 

First  line  at  the  right : — Born  in  the  3Oth  year 
of  Khian-liong  (A.D.   1736),  the  cycle  It-iu   (22nd 
cycle),  first  moon,  26th  day,  between  the  hours  1-3 
p.m. 

Third  line  at  the  left : — Died  in  the  1 5th  year 
of  Ka-kheng  (A.D.  1796-1821),  the  cycle  Keng-go 
(7th  cycle),  eighth  moon,  23rd  day,  between  the 
hours  3-5  a.m.  Between  these  two  lines  are 
characters  meaning:  "old  woman"  and  some  names 
she  had  in  childhood. 

On  the  inner  side  of  the  shorter  piece  is  the 
name  of  the  burial  place,  so  poorly  written  that  it 
is  illegible. 

The  most  interesting  thing  that  can  be  said 
about  this  old  tablet  is,  that  some  ten  years  ago  the 
family  who  were  worshipping  it  became  Christians, 
joined  the  church  at  Chang-chow,  and  disposed  of 
it  and  so  it  passed  into  my  possession. 

Ancestral  worship  is  not  thoroughly  bad  by 
any  means.  Verily  there  is  much  in  it  that  is  ex- 
cellent. It  has  some  features  about  it  that  are  em- 
bodied in  the  precepts  of  the  fifth  commandment 
of  the  Decalogue ;  and  there  is  also  a  great  deal  in 
it  similar  to  our  ideas  embodied  in  our  state  and 
national  demonstrations  in  honor  of  our  illustrious 
statesmen  and  soldier  heroes,  or  as  witnessed  on 
our  Decoration  Day  and  other  anniversaries  of 
like  nature. 

But  there  is  another  side  which,  if  left  un- 
discovered, would  be  to  leave  us  in  ignorance  of  the 


136  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

real  intents  and  purposes  of  the  system.  If  the 
people  would  confine  themselves  to  the  mere 
honoring  of  the  dead  as  we  honor  our  dead — if 
there  were  less  of  formality  and  more  of  sincerity — 
then  it  might  command  our  full  approval  and 
sympathy.  But  in  that  act  of  worship  it  is  made 
abominable,  because  they  make  the  dead  ancestor 
"the  correlate  of  Heaven"  (God) ;  and  so  violate 
and  destroy  any  good  there  may  be  in  it.  In  addition 
to  the  first  quotation  from  Confucius,  in  the  same 
paragraph  we  have  this  remarkable  utterance :  "In 
reverential  awe  shown  to  one's  father,  there  is 
nothing  greater  than  making  him  the  correlate  of 
Heaven." 

In  every  one  of  these  tablets  the  survivors 
believe  there  resides  the  spirit  of  the  ancestor, 
who  is  dependent  upon  them  for  food,  raiment, 
every  necessity  and  pleasure  of  life,  as  it  was 
when  it  dwelt  among  them  in  visible  presence. 
Still  more  fatal  is  the  belief  that  every  spirit  is  a 
sort  of  "tutelary  spirit,"  a  protector  or  destroyer, 
a  benefactor  or  an  avenger,  one  who  blesses  or 
curses,  according  to  the  generosity  or  neglect  of  the 
devotee.  On  account  of  this  very  element,  so  inter- 
woven in  the  practice  and  the  theory  of  the  rite,  it 
is  impossible  for  a  real  Christianity  to  sanction  or 
approve  of  it;  to  do  so  would  be  dangerous,  to  say 
the  least,  and  probably  disastrous  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.* 


*For  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  Tablet  see  Social  Life 
of  the  Chinese,  Pg.  217,  by  Justin  Doolittle. 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  137 

Reward — long  life,  prosperity  and  happiness- 
is  the  passion  that  lies  at  the  bottom  of  all  his  out- 
ward reverence  and  devotion — not  native  pride,  nor 
native  glory.     He  makes  a  sort  of  insurance  policy 
out  of  his  belief,  from  which  he  expects  both  reward 
and    protection    from   sickness    and    trouble    and 
adversity.   Remove  this  feature  and  you  remove  the 
bottom  out  of  the  whole  system.     The  Rev.  Y.  K. 
Yen,  a  noted  Chinese  preacher,  said,  "All  Chinese 
worship  is  for  selfishness.     If  these  people  did  not 
think  the  gods  could  affect  men's  bodies,  the  temples 
would  be  deserted,  and  ancestral  worship  decline." 
But  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  remove  this  one  feature, 
more  difficult  than  to  abolish  the  whole  system. 

First.  It  is  a  system  that  is  upheld  and  has  been 
upheld  by  the  government  from  time  immemorial ; 
it  has  been  endorsed  by  sacred  edicts,  enjoined  by 
provincial  manifestoes  until  it  reads  almost  like  a 
statute  of  the  civil  codes.  It  may  be  called  the 
national  religion,  "  for  it  is  the  only  system  of 
religion  that  the  government  takes  the  trouble  to 
propagate"  among  its  subjects.  It  is  estimated  that 
it  costs  the  people  one  half  the  time  of  the  female 
population  to  prepare  articles  for  sacrifices  and 
offerings  that  it  demands,  and  the  expenditure  of 
millions  in  cold  "  cash  "  per  annum  to  sustain  it. 

Second.  Of  all  forms  of  idolatry,  this  is  con- 
sidered to  be  the  most  serious  impediment  to  the 
conversion  of  the  Chinese.  It  is  the  greatest  obstacle 
that  the  missionary  meets  in  his  effort  to  set  up  the 


138  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

standard  of  the  cross  in  China  or  to  establish  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  this  benighted  land.  The  Rev. 
John  Ross  tells  of  a  Corean  prince  who  was  taken 
into  China  as  a  prisoner,  and  while  in  banishment 
came  in  contact  with  Christianity,  and  upon  his 
return  to  his  native  land  he  gave  this  testimony:  If 
Protestant  Christians  could  adopt  ancestral  worship, 
he  saw  no  reason  why  Corea  should  not  be  a  Chris- 
tian country  in  three  years.  It  is  true  of  China  as 
well.  It  sometimes  seems  as  though  this  were  the 
very  last  link  that  binds  them  to  Satan's  rule.  It  is 
a  subtle  influence  he  holds  over  their  minds,  contain- 
ing so  much  good  mixed  up  with  so  much  more  evil. 
"Go,"  he  says,  "if  you  must  go,  but  take  this  cus- 
tom with  you  if  you  go;  then  I  will  still  reign."  If 
they  could  only  keep  this  system,  how  easy  it  would 
be  to  be  Christian !  But  Christianity  demands  un- 
conditional surrender ;  and  so  it  comes  that  this  is 
the  last  heathen  custom  that  the  Chinese  convert 
will  yield.  He  would  willingly  let  all  else  go, 
willingly  cut  loose  from  every  other  idol  if  he  could 
only  cling  to  this  one.  To  break  away  from  this 
seems  like  breaking  away  from  his  nation  and 
becoming  an  exile  forever  from  all  that  he  ever 
held  dear  and  sacred.  And,  in  truth,  so  it  is.  If 
such  be  his  own  condemnation,  how  much  severer 
must  that  be  of  his  countrymen !  It  is  a  frowning 
world  he  must  always  afterward  face  when  once 
this  step  is  taken.  Companions,  relatives,  and 
kindred  will  look  upon  him  "  as  an  ingrate  wretch 


PAGODA  SHADOWS  139 

who,  following  the  leading  of  outside  barbarians, 
has  turned  his  back  on  his  country,  his  clan,  and 
his  own  family,  on  the  father  who  begot  him, 
on  the  mother  who  bore  him,  and  therefore  deserves 
to  forfeit  all  share  in  the  paternal  estate,  and  to  be 
an  outcast  on  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Thus  one  may  realize  what  it  costs  to  become 
a  Christian  in  China ;  what  unconditional  surrender 
means ;  what  a  glorious  victory  the  cross  has  won 
in  every  such  concession.  When  a  Chinese  has 
severed  this  link  that  has  bound  him  enslaved  to 
idolatry  and  heathen  superstition  and  the  dead  past, 
it  is  clearly  through  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
wrought  in  his  soul,  that  the  divine  work  is  com- 
plete, and  that  his  life  forever  after  is  linked  with 
Christ  and  the  glorious,  even  eternal  life  of  the  Son 
of  God. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES. 

The  people  of  Amoy  are  engaged  in  banking  and 
in  merchantile  and  agricultural  pursuits.  There  is 
a  very  active  Chamber  of  Commerce,  several  strong 
banks,*  while  the  merchant  class  is  very  large. 
Thousands  emigrate  to  the  Straits  Settlements, 
Borneo,  Manila  and  Java,  where  they  engage  in 
various  occupations,  accumulate  fortunes  and  return 
to  their  native  land  to  spend  their  days  in  peace  and 
plenty.  But  this  will  be  considered  more  fully  in  a 
chapter  by  itself. 

The  occupations  and  industries  of  this  district 
may  be  classified  as  follows  : 

Agriculture. 

The  Amoy  district  abounds  in  farming  lands, 
vast  areas  extending  away  back  nearly  three  hundred 
miles  into  the  Ting-chow  prefecture,  and  well  watered 
by  streams  and  rivers.  The  farms  are  not  large, 
some  may  not  be  over  one  acre,  others  even  smaller, 
but  every  inch  is  made  to  count ;  and  he  is  a  poor 
farmer  who  cannot  produce  two  crops  a  year.  A' 
goodly  portion  of  the  land  is  devoted  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  rice,  and  frequently  these  fields  are  terraced 
one  above  the  other  far  up  the  hillsides.  Great  quanti- 


*  The  Bank  of  Communications,  and  the  Ta-ch'ing  Bank 
both  have  branches  here. 


142  IN   AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

ties  of  sugar  cane  are  raised  in  the  Chuan-chow  and 
Chang-chow  prefectures.  Tobacco  is  raised  more 
extensively  in  the  western  parts  of  the  district,  and 
especially  in  the  Ting-chow  prefecture,  large  quan- 
tities being  transported  overland  to  Shanghai.  The 
raising  of  bamboo  is  another  important  industry  in 
Ting-chow.  There  are  also  fields  of  barley,  some 
wheat,  sweet  potatoes  and  Irish  potatoes,  squash, 
onions,  garlic,  celery,  egg-plant,  beans,  peas,  cabbage, 
lettuce,  turnips,  mustard,  peanuts,  and  taro.  The 
cotton  industry  is  being  developed  quite  rapidly  in 
the  Chang-chow  valley,  and  promises  to  be  a  very 
profitable  one.  A  company  has  been  formed  to 
experiment  in  the  cultivation  of  other  products  as 
well.  A  large  tract  of  land  has  been  secured  for 
experimental  work. 

There  is  also  a  movement  to  start  a  sugar 
mill  plant  at  Chang-chow  to  manufacture  sugar  with 
the  most  improved  up-to-date  methods. 

Fruit  orchards  abound.  There  are  orange, 
banana,  and  pumelo  orchards  yielding  their  delicious 
fruits  in  their  season,  and  the  occasions  are  rare 
when  fruit  of  some  kind  is  not  in  season.  Guavas, 
persimmons,  pineapples,  figs,  mangoes,  pears,  peaches, 
pomegranates,  (not  eatable),  limes,  lichees,  mulberries, 
plums,  and  red  arbutus  are  extensively  cultivated 
and  yield  abundantly.  The  farmers  also  raise  cows, 
water-buffaloes,  pigs,  chickens,  ducks,  pigeons,  geese, 
ponies  and  goats.  The  exportation  of  cattle  to 
Manila  was  at  one  time  quite  extensive. 


>*T 


SUGAR  CANE  MILL 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     143 

The  Amoy  tea  cultivation,  at  least  in  any  large 
quantities,  is  a  matter  of  the  past.  The  Ankhoe 
district  however  continues  to  produce  about  300  tons 
(5000  piculs)  annually,  valued  at  130.228  H.  K.  T. 
($200.000  Mex) .  The  bulk  of  this  is  exported  to  the 
Straits  Settlements  where  it  is  consumed  by  the 
Chinese  who  emigrate  to  those  parts.  This  industry 
was  undoubtedly  ruined,  principally,  by  overtaxation. 
In  former  days  200,000  piculs  (13000  tons)  of  tea 
left  this  harbor  annually.  But  ever  since  Formosa 
became  a  Japanese  possession  the  export  or  re-export 
of  Formosa  tea  from  this  port  has  practically  ceased. 
In  1909  only  14,310  piculs  (900  tons)  were  re-ex- 
ported from  Amoy;  and  the  quantity  will  probably 
become  less  and  less  each  succeeding  year. 
The  cultivation  of  Opium. 

A  most  serious  impediment  to  all  progress  in 
China,  and  so  in  Amoy,  has  been  the  cultivation  and 
consumption  of  opium.  Up  to  1909  the  article  was 
produced  in  seven  counties  and  one  chiu.  When 
these  fields  were  in  bloom  they  made  a  beautiful 
sight.  The  single  flower  is  exquisite,  but  no  garden 
with  a  cluster  or  two  of  this  flower  can  ever  com- 
pare with  these  wide  fields  all  decorated  in  robes  of 
white,  pink  and  purple  in  far  more  delicate  tints 
than  the  cleverest  artists  could  produce.  How- 
strange  it  is,  that  the  product  of  such  a  beautiful 
flower  should  become  such  a  curse  to  a  nation. 

The  cultivation  of  the  poppy  has  been  confined 
almost  entirely  to  Yunnan,  Kweichow,  Fukien, 


144  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Kiangsi,  Hunan,  and  Szechuan.  In  some  of  these 
provinces,  it  is  estimated  that,  as  high  as  60%  of 
the  arable  land  was,  prior  to  1909,  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  opium.  These  six  provinces  have 
produced  from  47,000,00x3  to  54,000,000  piculs* 
annually,  worth  something  like  $200,000,000  Mex.f 
To  produce  this  amount  it  is  calculated  that 
^20,000,000  acres  of  land  were  required.  It  is  es- 
timated that  in  the  provinces  named  there  are  in 
round  numbers  360,000,000  acres  of  land.  Assum- 
ing that  one  third  is  under  cultivation  we  have 
120,000,000  acres  of  arable  land  for  products  of  all 
kinds.  As  we  have  already  seen  20,000,000  acres 
were  used  for  the  raising  of  opium,  leaving  only 
100,000,000  acres  for  all  the  other  products.  The 
average  per  centum  of  all  these  provinces  for  the 
cultivation  of  opium  was  therefore  about  \j%  of 
the  arable  land.  (That  is  the  average,  but  as  we  have 
seen  some  went  as  high  as  60  % )  In  other  words  the 
people  were  devoting  about  one  sixth  of  their  land 
to  produce  the  death  dealing  drug.  Not  only  was 
this  so,  but  the  amount  placed  under  cultivation  was 
on  the  constant  increase.  Fortunately  the  govern- 
ment was  wise  enough  to  institute  measures,  not 
merely  to  curtail  the  area  of  production,  but  to 
stamp  it  out  entirely.  That  phase  of  the  question 
however  will  be  considered  later. 


*  133^  pounds.       ^ 

t  Mex.  equals  50  cents  gold  currency. 

J  None  of  these  figures  must  be  taken  as  absolutely  correct. 
It  is  utterly  impossible  to  obtain  accurate  statements  in  regard 
to  these  matters,  but  the  author  believes  they  are  conservative 
and  well  within  the  mark.  It  should  also  be  understood,  that 
all  these  figures  refer  to  conditions  prior  to  1909. 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     145 

The  cultivation  of  opium  in  the  Amoy  District. 

The  area  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  opium 
in  this  district  has  been  pretty  well  confined  to  the 
counties  of  Tong-an,  An-khoe,  Chin-kang,  Lam-an, 
Hweian,  Tio-thoa,  Chang-pu,  and  Eng-chhun  chiu. 
These  districts  are  reported  to  have  raised  as  much 
as  9310  piculs  (over  600  tons)  in  one  year.  Add  to 
this  the  amount  that  was  imported  from  India  and 
other  provinces  in  China  and  the  quantity  would  be 
easily  doubled,  valued  at  $18,000,000  Mex,  and  this 
is  a  very  conservative  estimate. 

It  was  such  a  profitable  industry  that  the 
temptation  to  take  it  up  was  something  almost  irre- 
sistable.  Being  three  or  four  times  more  profitable 
than  raising  rice  or  other  cereals  the  production  of 
other  food  stuffs  was  very  naturally  diminished.  In 
a  favorable  season  one  sixth  of  an  acre  (one  mow}, 
we  are  told,  will  yield  five  or  six  pounds  of  opium, 
poor  seasons  three  pounds.  Reckoning  a  pound  to 
be  worth  (native)  from  $5.00  to  $7.00  Mex.  i,e.  from 
$30.00  to  $42.00  Mex.  in  good  seasons,  and  from 
$15.00  to  $21.00  Mex.  in  poor  seasons  for  one  sixth 
of  an  care,  one  may  readily  understand  how  ali 
other  products  were  unable  to  compete  successfully 
with  it. 
The  Demoralizing  effect  of  opium. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  its  tendency  in  the  long 
run  is  to  impoverish  the  land,  but  its  power  to  im- 
poverish a  people  is  still  greater,  as  we  have  re- 
peatedly seen  in  this  district.  The  common  effect 


146  IN 

of  its  use  is  to  reduce  vitality,  energy  and  business 
ability ;  but  it  does  not,  like  alcoholic  drinks  make 
its  users  violent,  pugnacious  or  abusive.  It  stupe- 
fies, makes  a  man  morose,  induces  idleness,  lowers 
the  standard  of  living  and  very  frequently  leads  to 
gambling;  while  he  will  do  anything,  sell  his  wife 
or  children.,  to  get  money  to  relieve  unceasing 
cravings. 

More  than  this  it  undoubtedly  greatly  reduced 
the  purchasing  power  of  this  people.  "  A  confirmed 
opium  smoker  will  probably  not  eat  as  much  rice  by 
one  tenth  as  a  non-smoker  because  of  impaired 
digestion*',  so  his  wants  will  not  be  so  many,  while 
the  money  he  spends  for  opium  which  became 
exceedingly  costly  in  1909  and  still  dearer  in  1910 
''decreases  the  purchasing  power  by  so  much."  In 
1907  foreign  opium  was  quoted  at  $710  Mex.  per 
picul  133^  pounds,  in  1910  at  $3000  Mex.  In 
1907  native  opium  was  quoted  at  $654  Mex.  per 
picul,  in  1910  at  $1820  Mex. 
The  Suppression  of  the  opium  industry. 

On  Sept.  2oth,  1906  an  Imperial  edict  v.as 
issued,  demonstrating  clearly  the  position  of  this 
government  in  regard  to  opium:  "Since  the  Im- 
perial prohibition  of  opium,  almost  the  whole  of 
China  has  been  flooded  with  the  poison.  Smokers 
of  opium  have  wasted  their  time,  neglected  their 
employment,  spoiled  their  constitutions,  and  ruined 
their  households ;  and  thus,  for  some  decades,  China 
has  presented  a  picture  of  ever-increasing  poverty 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     147 

and  weakness.  It  arouses  our  deep  indignation 
even  to  speak  of  the  matter.  The  Court  is  now 
ardently  determined  to  make  China  powerful,  and 
it  is  incumbent  upon  us  to  urge  the  people  on  to 
reformation  in  this  respect  that  they  may  realize 
the  evil,  pluck  out  the  deep  seated  cancer,  and  follow 
the  ways  of  health  and  harmony.  We  therefore 
decree  that,  within  the  limit  of  ten  years,*  this  harm- 
ful foreign  muck  be  fully  and  entirely  cleansed 
away.  And  we  further  command  the  Council  of 
State  Affairs  to  consider  means  for  the  strict  pro- 
hibition both  of  opium-smoking  and  poppy  growing 
(in  China  itself),  and  report  their  deliberations  to 
us  for  approval."  (Translated  by  Rev.  W.  A. 
Comabyj. 

These  new  regulations  contained  restrictions 
somewhat  on  this  order:  The  cultivation  of  the 
poppy  must  not  only  be  confined  within  present 
limits,  but  its  present  area  must  be  restricted  annual- 
ly one  tenth,  otherwise  the  land  will  be  liable  to 
confiscation.  On  the  other  hand  if  cultivation  ceases 
sooner  than  the  limit  of  ten  years  rewards  will  be 
made.  All  persons  using  the  drug  must  be  registered 
either  at  the  yamen  or  with  the  village  headman. 
No  unregistered  person  will  be  allowed  to  purchase 
it.  All  opium  shops  will  be  closed  gradually.  The 


*  A  proposition  has  been  made  by  the  government  to  reduce 
the  number  of  years  considerably.  And  it  is  hoped  and  ex- 
pected that  in  accordance  with  the  new  terms  just  made  (1911) 
with  the  Indian  government,  the  next  two  or  three  years  will 
witness  its  complete  eradication. 


148  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

new  regulations  distinguish  between  the  treatment 
meted  out  to  opium  smokers  over  sixty  years  of  age 
and  those  under.  Those  over  sixty  will  receive 
more  lenient  treatment,  those  under,  less  lenient 
treatment,  in  breaking  off  the  habit. 

Since  1908-1909  much  progress  has  been  made 
everywhere  in  the  suppression  of  opium  cultivation 
in  this  great  land.  And  it  must  be  apparent  to  every 
observer  that  the  central  government  has  made  an 
honest  effort  to  fulfil  its  part  of  the*  contract  entered 
into  with  other  nations  in,  or  even  before  the 
specified  time. 

The  northern  part  of  the  Fukien  province  has 
been  more  active  in  this  matter  of  suppression  than 
the  southern  part.  In  January  of  1909  the  report 
went  out  that  the  "sales  of  the  drug"  had  fallen  off 
four -fifths,  while  the  amount  of  land  put  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  poppy  had  been  reduced  twenty 
per  cent.  In  1910  the  per  centage  is  much  less, 
there  being  practically  no  land  given  up  to  this 
industry.  There  may  be  some  fields  about  Heng- 
hoa  and  in  that  prefecture.  Over  15,000  opium 
pipes  have  been  destroyed.  A  significant  event  oc- 
curred at  Foochow  (Fukien)  in  August  1910  which 
will  indicate  the  attitude  of  the  authorities  in  Fukien 
on  this  matter.  When  it  came  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  Anti-opium  Society  of  Foochow  that  158  chests 
of  native  opium  were  seeking  entrance  in  to  that  port 


*  Great  Britain  agreed  "that  the  gradual  reduction  of  the 
Indian  opium  trade  (into  China)  should  be  coincident  with  the 
decrease  of  the  production  of  the  native  drug  "  ( 1907-1908). 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     149 

steps  were  immediately  taken  by  appealing  to  the 
Viceroy  to  have  its  importation  stopped.  The 
Viceroy  in  turn  placed  the  matter  before  the  authori- 
ties in  Peking.  The  position  of  the  Society,  and 
the  Viceroy,  who  appears  to  be  in  perfect  sympathy 
with  it,  is  this :  they  claim,  which  is  perfectly  sane, 
that  inasmuch  as  the  Fukien  province  has  eradicated 
the  cultivation  from  the  Northern  portion,  and  prac- 
tically from  the  southern  part,  it  is  both  unfair 
and  unjust  to  have  this  stuff  dumped  upon  this 
province. 

While  the  sentiment  in  South  Fukien  against 
opium  has  not  been  so  strong  as  in  North  Fukien, 
yet  in  this  small  corner  of  Far  Cathay  much  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  reduction  of  poppy  cultivation 
in  the  eight  places  where  formerly  it  was  raised 
in  immense  quantities. 

While  it  may  be  too  much  to  say  that  no  opium 
is  being  raised  in  this  district,  yet  it  may  safely  be 
said  that  the  amount  is  comparatively  small. 

In  the  two  counties  of  Tong-an  and  Tio-thoa, 
which  have  been  the  largest  producers  in  this  region, 
reports  come  from  reliable  sources  that  there  is  not 
a  leaf  of  the  poppy  plant  to  be  seen.  [In  1908 
Tong-an  produced  3,750  piculs  (250  tons),  in  1909 
less  than  half,  in  1910,  none.]  If  any  is  being- 
cultivated  it  must  be  in  very  small  quantities  and  in 
out-of-the-way  places. 

But  all  this  has  not  been  accomplished  without 
a  struggle,  especially  in  the  county  first  named. 


1 5o  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Stern  and  drastic  measures  had  to  be  adopted  in 
some  instances,  e.g,  in  one  part  of  the  county  of 
Tong-an  certain  villages  refused  to  obey  the  mandate 
of  the  officials  to  refrain  from  planting  the  poppy. 
Swift  and  certain  punishment  followed.  The 
authorities  immediately  made  known  in  no  uncertain 
terms  their  position  in  the  matter,  and  when  the 
parties  refused  to  acquiesce  soldiers  were  at  once 
dispatched,  who  destroyed  the  crop  and  laid  these 
villages  level  with  the  ground,  while  the  inhabitants 
fled  to  the  hills. 

The  same  kind  of  opposition  was  manifested 
in  the  county  of  Peng-ho  (a  county  where  the  pro- 
duction must  be  small,  as  no  account  of  its  output 
appears  in  Customs  Reports).  Some  of  the  farmers 
desired  to  plant  opium  as  usual.  This  came  to  the 
notice  of  the  local  mandarin,  who  most  vigorously 
vetoed  anything  of  the  kind.  Like  the  Tong-an 
official  he  put  down  his  foot  heavily  against  any 
such  procedure,  and  forthwith  forbade  the  planting 
of  opium  in  his  precincts.  Of  course  they  objected 
to  such  decided  measures;  so  one  night  a  goodly 
number,  led  by  a  strong  clan,  arrayed  themselves  in 
white  (whether  they  wore  masks  is  not  reported) 
proceeded  to  the  yamen  where  they  made  their  dis- 
pleasure manifest  by  attacking  the  place.  They 
succeeded  in  killing  the  gate-keeper,  and  wounding 
the  mandarin  and  his  son  very  severely.  For  this 
they  paid  dearly — probably  the  price  of  several 
opium  crops.  A  thousand  soldiers  were  sent  up 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     151 

from  Chang-chow  to  help  straighten  matters  out,  and 
that  is  always  costly.  Opium  cultivation  ceased  for 
the  time  being  at  any  rate. 

All  this,  however,  does  not  necessarily  indicate 
a  real  reduction  in  the  consumption  of  the  debauch- 
ing drug.  Alas !  the  amount  of  opium  imported  at 
Amoy  during  the  past  few  months  of  the  present 
year  (1910)  increased*  by  leaps  and  bounds.  To 
be  sure  it  does  not  follow  that  all  this  was 
consumed.  As  a  matter  of  fact  large  quantities 
remained  in  bond.  The  difficulty  was  to  dispose 
of  it  because  of  the  unprecedented  high  price  at 
which  it  was  held.  Some  grades  of  opium  were 
sold  at  $3000  a  case,  i.e.,  120  catties;**  the 
lowest  $.2400  a  case.  These  figures  refer  to 
India  opium.  Revenue  increased  at  the  rate  of 
$1000  per  month  at  times  in  1910,  the  duty  being  1 10 
Hai-koanx  Tael  ($165  Mex)  per  picu'lt.  There  has 
been  wild  speculation  and  heavy  loses  incurred  by 
some  of  the  firms  in  Amoy  on  account  of  this 
fluctuation  of  the  market,  and  some,  it  is  reported, 
have  become  almost  bankrupt. 

There  is  just  one  consolation,  and  that  is  that 
notwithstanding  the  present  increase  in  its  importa- 
tion (which  is  only  natural  under  existing  circum- 
stances) the  total  amount  of  foreign  opium  imported 

*  In  Canton  the  increase  is  said  to  have  been  100,000  pounds 
in  1909. 

**  One  and  one  third  pounds. 

x  Under  the  new  agreement  this  will  likely  be  increased  to 
350  taels  per  chest 

*  J33  1A  pounds. 


152  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

in  1909  (i.e.  3,804  piculsf)  is  less  than  the  amount 
in  1907,  by  over  100  piculs,  but  552  piculs  more 
than  1908. 

While  this  may  all  be  so,  yet  we  may  safely 
assert  that  the  entire  suppression  of  its  cultivation 
and  consumption  will  surely  follow,  if  the  Chinese 
authorities  and  the  Indian  government  will  remain 
firm  in  the  position  they  have  taken.  That  is  to  say, 
if  native  production  and  foreign  importation  cease, 
the  cessation  of  its  consumption  must  inevitably 
follow. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  subject  it  should 
be  noted  that  the  Kolongsu  Municipal  Council  took 
prompt  action  in  regard  to  this  matter  by  having 
the  following  resolution  unanimously  approved  at  a 
Rate  Payers  meeting  on  June  i6th  1908. 

1 i )  That  all  opium  dens  be  closed  within  60 
days   after   issuing   a   proclamation  to  this  effect. 
(This  proclamation  was  issued  in  July.) 

(2)  To  license  a  limited  number  of  shops  to 
sell  the  drug,  but  with  the  understanding  that  one 
half  of  them  shall  be  closed  by  March  3ist,  1909, 
and  the  other  half  by  March  3ist,  1910. 

This  has  all  been  fulfilled,  and  the  opium  traffic, 
in  so  far  as  this  small  island  settlement  is  concerned, 
all  closed  up. 


t  Native  opium  1665  piculs.  In  1908  this  amounted  to  7950 
piculs.  From  other  provinces  in  1909,  1566  piculs,  in  1908  1132 
piculs. 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     153 

Narcissus  industry. 

The  trade  has  varied  very  little  in  volume  in 
the  last  decade,  and  there  seems  little  hope  of  further 
development.  The  bulbs  are  grown  in  the  fields 
near  the  south  gate  of  the  city  of  Chang-chow  where 
the  soil  is  peculiarly  suitable  for  their  production 
and  growth ;  and  the  output  is  limited  to  the  size  of 
the  beds  there,  which  are  fully  occupied  and  yield 
about  3,000,000  bulbs  annually. 

The  exportation  abroad  from  here  began  about 
1880,  when  small  quantities  were  sent  experimentally 
to  the  United  States  and  Europe  (principally  Bel- 
gium). The  European  trade  has  not  developed,  but 
the  American  demand  has  since  grown  to  considerable 
dimensions,  and  in  the  year  1908.*,  2,540,168  bulbs 
were  sent  away,  principally  to  America,  and  about 
the  some  quantity  in  1910,  or  in  round  numbers 
3,000,000. 

Flora  and  Fauna. 

People  who  spend  their  lives  in  this  port  or 
along  the  coast  will  be  surprised  to  learn  from 
those  who  have  travelled  in  the  interior  that  there 
are  forests  of  beautiful  fir  and  pine,  and  many  other 
trees,  especially  in  the  Ting-chow  prefecture. 

There  are  little  more  than  barren  hills  around 
Amoy,  covered  for  the  most  part  with  rocks,  some 
of  them  huge  boulders  weighing  hundreds  of  tons. 


*  Customs  Report  1908. 


154  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Trees  are  found  about  temples  and  private 
residences.  The  gigantic  banyan  flourishes  every- 
where. It  often  reaches  the  extraordinary  age  of  one 
thousand  years.  There  are  pines  and  bamboo,  species 
of  India-rubber,  cotton,  and  tallow  tree,  erythrina, 
eucalyptus,  and  the  pride  of  India.  Aloes,  cacti, 
and  night-blooming  cereus  abound. 

Among  the  flowers  that  grow  wild  may  be 
found  the  white  cluster  rose,  white  dog  violet, 
blue  harebells,  pink  oxalis,  myosatis,  vetches, 
goldenrod,  sow-thistles,  and  ferns  of  many 
varieties  including  maidenhair,  bracken,  and  hare- 
foot.  Among  the  cultivated  flowers  are  many 
varieties  of  roses  from  America;  lilies,  camellias, 
chrysanthemums,  magnolias,  iris,  geraniums,  helio- 
trope, phlox,  and  mignonette.  "Creepers  too 
abound ;  ivy,  honeysuckle,  bankinia.  racemosa,  a 
large  purple  flowered  thunbergia,  and  four  varieties 
of  the  begonia,  and  the  wine  flower  with  its  quaint 
clusters  of  blossoms  opening  a  creamy  white  and 
passing  thro  all  the  shades  of  red,  till,  before  they 
finally  die,  they  are  a  deep  crimson."  Crotons. 
brought  from  Singapore,  are  also  cultivated. 
Changchow,  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Amoy,  is 
celebrated  for  the  "Tsui-sian-hoe,"  i.e.,  the  fairy 
flower,  or  the  flower  of  the  gods,  as  called  by  the 
natives. 

"The  plant  belongs  to  the  family  of  the  Amaryl- 
lidea,  and  the  two  varieties  grown  here  are  known 
botanicallv  as  the  Narcissus  Tazetta  and  Narcissus 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     155 

Polyanthus,  one  having  a  single  and  the  other  a 
double  blossom."  The  Chinese  make  no  distinction 
between  the  varieties,  which  are  produced  haphazard 
by  the  growers  and  called  generally  "  water  fairy 
flowers."  There  seems  very  good  reason  to  believe 
that  Narcissus  Tazetta  is  not  indigenous  to  China, 
but  was  introduced  by  the  Portuguese  navigators— 
in  whose  country  it  is  native — early  in  the  sixeenth 
century. 

It  has  been  thus  described :  "It  is  a  variety  of 
narcissus,  bearing  in  lavish  profusion  chaste  rlowers 
of  silvery  white  with  golden  yellow  cups.  It  is 
grown  by  the  Chinese  according  to  their  ancient 
custom,  to  herald  the  advent  of  their  new  year,  and 
as  a  symbol  of  good  luck.  The  plants  are  grown  by 
a  method  only  known  to  the  Chinese  themselves 
(beyond  the  'Lama'  temple,  at  a  place  called  "Gia 
Kang  Son")  whereby  the  bulbs  attain  great  size 
and  vitality,  ensuring  luxurious  growth  and  im- 
mense spikes  of  flowers ;  in  fact,  the  incredibly  short 
time  required  to  bring  them  to  blossom  (four  to  six 
weeks  after  planting)  is  one  of  the  wonders  of 
nature ;  '  you  can  almost  see  them  grow,'  and  they 
succeed  almost  every-where  and  with  everybody. 
They  do  well  in  pots  of  earth,  but  are  more  novel 
and  beautiful  when  grown  in  shallow  bowls  of 
water,  with  enough  fancy  pebbles  to  prevent  them 
toppling  over  when  in  bloom.  Hundreds  of  thous- 
ands of  the  narcissus  bulbs  are  yearly  shipped  to 
other  parts  of  China,  and  to  Europe,  the  United 
States  and  Canada." 


156  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Amoy  is  noted  for  its  game.  In  the  district 
good  sport  may  be  enjoyed  in  hunting  wild  geese, 
wild  duck,  teal,  partridge,  plover,  snipe,  pheasant, 
quail  and  rabbits.  If  something  more  exciting  is 
desired,  there  are  tigers  in  the  mountains,  enormous 
man-eaters,  and  wild  boars.  Then  there  are  foxes, 
weasles,  muskrats,  and  the  like.  Among  birds  there 
are  curlew,  sparrow-hawks,  kites,  magpies,  ospreys, 
crows,  owls,  butcher-birds,  thrushes,  sparrows,  black- 
birds, tailorbirds,  herons,  egrets,  pelicans,  gulls, 
albatrosses,  and  a  large  variety  of  smaller  water 
birds. 
Mining. 

*  Another  venture  is  the  proposed  exploitation  of 
mineral  deposits  in  the  Ankhoe  district  by  a  Chinese 
syndicate.  The  subscribed  capital  for  this  un- 
dertaking is  $2,000,000,  and  authority  has  been 
given  by  the  Board  of  Works  to  begin  work. 
Preliminary  investigations  were  made  in  November 
(1907),  when  it  was  found  that  the  concession  con- 
tained coal  and  iron  in  abundance,  as  well  as  lead 
and  limestone.  The  venture  looks  promising 
enough,  and  it  is  said  that  a  foreign  engineer  has 
been  engaged  to  take  charge  of  the  mining  opera- 
tions. There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  about  the 
mineral^  wealth  of  South  Fukien.  An  American 
mining  engineer  is  reported  to  have  examined  the 
district,  and  discovered  a  mountain  of  magnetite 

*Customs  Report  1098. 

tin  Leng-na  Chiu  coal  may  be  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground. 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  INDUSTRIES     157 

iron  ore,  a  mile  long  and  three- fourths  of  a  mile 
wide,  which  is  estimated  to  contain  over  10,000,000 
tons.  "Limestone,  galena,  kaolin  and  zinc  blend 
deposits  are  also  reported,  and  samples  of  rich 
antimony  ore  and  graphite  have  been  brought  into 
the  port.  It  is  much  to  be  hoped  that  no  obstacle 
will  be  put  in  the  way  of  any  attempt  to  take  these 
riches  from  the  soil,  as  it  is  in  their  exploitation 
that  the  path  to  prosperity  lies  in  this  region." 
Telephones 

Still  another  useful  and  interesting  enterprise  is 
the  telephone  company  which  is  being  established  in 
Amoy.  The  capital  ($8,000)  is  put  up  by  a  pro- 
minent member  of  the  local  gentry,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  the  company  has  been  authorized  by  the 
Min-Che  viceroy.  The  subscription  for  each  instru- 
ment is  $24  a  year,  and  about  100  patrons  have 
registered  their  names.  The  work  of  installation 
has  been  done  by  Ning-po  men,  and,  like  the  railway, 
this  is  exclusively  a  Chinese  concern. 

Fruit  and  Vegetable  Canning. 

This  is  a  growing  industry,  started  two  or 
three  years  ago.  Large  quantities  of  native  fruits 
and  vegetables  are  put  up  every  year  in  the  com- 
pany's own  tins  and  exported  or  sold  locally.  This 
company  did  $30,000  Mex.  worth  of  business 
in  1910,  and  it  is  constantly  increasing. 
Manufactut  ies. 

The  manufacturing  industries  are  very  limited 


158  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

in  this  district.  The  principal  articles  manufactured 
are  brick  (burnt  and  sun-dried),  earthern-ware, 
bamboo-ware,  cotton  goods,  shoes,  artificial  flowers, 
idols,  wood  carvings,  firecrackers  and  fireworks  in 
general.  Vermicelli  and  beancake  are  also  manu- 
factured in  immense  quantities. 

Curios 

The  Chinese  women  of  Amoy  have  been 
taught  by  the  foreign  ladies  of  the  mercantile 
community  to  make  most  beautiful  torchon  lace. 
Quite  a  flourishing  guild  has  been  established.  It 
has  proved  a  very  profitable  industry,  helping  to 
fill  the  exchequer  of  many  an  impoverished  family 
in  this  district. 

Amoy  is  not  noted  for  its  great  variety  of 
curios,  still  here  may  be  procured  quite  a  number  of 
articles  that  it  is  not  easy  to  purchase  elsewhere, 
such  as  "cats  eyes  "  stones, — not  the  real  article  but 
splendid  imitations,  in  various  colors  which  make 
up  into  pretty  necklaces  and  brooches.  They  can 
be  bought  for  about  three  cents  apiece.  One  may 
buy  here  carved  nuts  of  the  finest  workmanship; 
and  carved  tea  wood,  rice  figures  placed  on  sticks, 
and  brasses  of  many  designs. 

A  Glass  Factory  was  started  here  on  Kolongsu 
a  few  years  ago  by  some  Canton  and  Fukien 
capitalists.  In  ro/X)  the  output  amounted  to 
$20,000  Mex.  worth  of  lamp  chimneys,  and  $5000. 
Mex.  worth  of  bottles. 


CHAPTER.  IX. 

AMOY  EMIGRATION, 
ITS  CAUSE  AND  EFFECT. 

The  great  stream  of  Chinese  emigration  that 
flows  and  empties  itself  in  mighty  volume  into  the 
outer  world  finds  its  source  in  the  two  provinces  of 
Fukien  and  Kwangtung  of  South  China.  Every 
year  tens  of  thousands  leave  their  native  shores 
from  the  ports  of  Canton,  Swatow,  and  Amoy, 
to  make  their  fortunes,  and  in  many  instances  their 
homes,  in  foreign  lands.  Compared  with  these  the 
numbers  that  leave  from  other  provinces  and  from 
other  ports  are  so  small  that  they  need  not  be  taken 
into  account. 

The  Chinese  are  known  in  almost  every  l^nd 
under  the  sun.  Where  other  nationals  can  not  live 
there  they  abide,  opening  mines  and  canals,  build- 
ing railroads  which  turn  the  deserts  into  blooming 
fields  or  prosperous  towns  and  cities.  To-day  they 
are  marching  in  mighty  armies  across  Annam, 
Cambodia,  Siam,  Burmah,  Sumatra,  Java,  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  the  Philippines,  Australia,  the 
isles  of  the  Pacific,  the  continents  of  North  and 
South  America,  Africa  and  Europe.  According  to 
the  latest  statistics  this  army  is  distributed  among 
the  nations  of  the  world  as  follows : — 


i6o 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


Siam 2,750,000  United  States  ....  100,000 

Malay  Peninsula   1,000,000  California  alone    .    .    .  60,000 

Singapore  alone  .    .  164,000  Canada 11.000 

Indo  China  ....  200,000  Russian  Territory  .  .    .  35,000 

Burmah 140,000  Africa 53,000 

Dutch  Indies  .    .    .  1,800,00  Europe 1,800 

Borneo  alone  ....  50,000  Japan 17,000 

Australia 35.ooo  Corea 11,000 

New  Zealand   ....  3,000  Formosa 2,900,000 

Philippines 80,000  Hongkong 300,000 

West  Indies  ....  100,000  Macao 75,ooo 

South  America  .    .    .  50,000 

A  grand  total  of  something  like  10,000,000  of 
the  Chinese  abroad,  and  principally  from  the  two 
provinces  named. 

But  it  is  only  with  the  emigrants*  from  Amoy 
that  we  are  just  now  concerned,  and  principally  with 
those  who  go  to  the  Malay  Peninsula  and  neighbor- 
ing states.  The  following  table  will  show  the 
Emigration  statistics  in  these  parts  for  four  years. 


1904 

1906 

1906 

1909 

DESTINATION 

1904 
6,549 

1905 

1908 

1909 

o,4!5 

4,897 

5,126 

4,156 

To  Formosa  From 

5,471 
10,490 

7,027 

S.6-13 

«,837 

'   8,788 

10,260 

„    Hongkong  „ 

19,871 

16,887 

15,092 

16,261 

5,917 

7,528 

11,080 

„    Coast  Ports  „ 

14,594 

6,888 

7,699 

lt.998 

70,000 

58,729 

67,613 

41,983 

„    Straits         „ 

28,000 

18,920 

14,447 

21,46* 

5,080 

5,392 

4,638 

8.8.-W 

„    Manila,        „ 

1,058 

1,185 

2,548 

4,187 

457 

57 

30 

518 

„    Other  ports  ,. 

294 

188 

15 

90 

102,866 

78,829 

91,867 

71,771 

„    Total* 

70,767 

49,085 

48,500 
t24S,566 

61,830 
246,179 

t835,126 

249,785 

t  ,,  Inland  waters  „ 

*Those  who  care  to  study  the  larger  question  wrll  find 
interesting  material  in  "Sunny  Singapore"  by  Rev.  J.  W. 
Cook,  and  ''Hie  Uberseeische  Auswanderung  der  Chinenen  " 
by  H.  Gottwaldt,  Esq. 

fThese  figures  have  nothing  to  do  with  emigration,  they 
merely  show  the  immense  passenger  traffic  between  Amoy  and 
places  like  Chioh-be,  Chang-chow,  Chuan-chow,  Aii-hai  and 
Tong-an.  *Total  number  of  passengers  outward  and  inward, 
628565. 


AMOY  EMIGRATION  161 

These  figures  while  taken  from  official  Customs 
Reports  do  not  claim  to  be  absolutely  correct, — 
especially  in  regard  to  the  number  returning.  On 
an  average  about  65,000  leave  Ainoy  annually  and 
50,000  return.  But  the  table  shows  nothing  like 
that.  To  obtain  a  fair  estimate  we  must  not  only 
consider  the  departures  and  arrivals  at  Amoy,  but 
those  of  Hongkong  as  well.  For  undoubtedly  very 
many  of  the  number  reported  either  as  arriving  at 
or  departing  from  Hongkong  have  their  final  des- 
tination or  starting  point  in  the  Straits,  i.e.,  the 
Malay  Peninsula  and  neighboring  states.  There- 
fore the  figures  of  both  ports  should  be  taken  into 
account. 

Taking  these  two  ports  then  for  the  four  years 
we  will  discover  a  great  falling  off  in  the  number 
of  those  returning. 

1904         1905         1906  1909 

Departed        75,000      60,000      74,000        52,163 
Returned       48,000      35,000      31,000        36,578 

65%          60%       45%  70% 

Yet  it  is  stated  by  those  who  profess  to  know 
that  there  is  actually  no  diminution  in  the  number 
of  those  returning,  but  that  it  remains  the  same  as 
ever,  that  is  about  80%.  No  clear  bit  of  explana- 
tion however  is  offered  for  this  piece  of  information. 
Of  the  20%  who  do  not  return  perhaps  10%  die, 
while  the  remaining  10%  live  to  enjoy  the  priv- 
ileges and  immunities  which  the  land  of  their 
idoption  affords. 


1 62  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

*A  tax  of  $i  is  levied  on  every  person  return- 
ing from  the  Straits. 

When  passengers  go  abroad,  an  officer  of  the 
British  government  is  sent  aboard  the  outgoing 
steamer  conveying  coolie  passengers,  who  counts 
every  one  and  reports  the  number  to  the  British 
authorities  in  Singapore,  No  such  official  inspection 
takes  place  when  they  return,  on  arrival  here.  So 
while  in  the  one  instance  the  figures  are  correct,  in 
the  other  they  are  not  likely  to  be  for  want  of 
proper  inspection  and  care. 

Those  who  go  abroad  are  recruited  from  the 
middle  and  lower  classes,  particularly  from  the 
latter,  as  fully  two-thirds  are  common  laborers  or 
"coolies"  Of  the  total  number  that  leave  here, 
perhaps  five  per  cent  are  women  who  go  to  join 
their  husbands.  It  is  against  the  law  for  boys  to 
go  abroad  unless  accompanied  by  parents.  This  is 
done  in  order  to  avoid  kidnapping.  This  evil  is 
not  entirely  removed.  It  is  still  violated  to  some 
extent  by  those  who  are  so  anxious  to  obtain  child- 
ren, and  especially  boys  to  perpetuate  their  names. 
Every  women  (and  child)  that  goes  abroad  must 
have  her  name  registered,  which  is  forwarded  to  the 
port  she  intends  to  enter. 

The  power  of  the  clan  system  is  apparent  in  all 
emigration.  The  Chinese  are  great  colonizers,  but 
settlers  in  any  one  district  will  usually  be  found  to 


*Recently,  so  reported,  some  of  this  tax  has  been  used  for 
Educational  purposes,  and  for  the  support  of  the  Amoy  police. 


AMOY  EMIGRATION  163 

have  migrated  from  the  same  place  and  from  the 
same  family  stock.  So  one  will  rarely  find  the 
emigrants  of  Amoy  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the 
Malay  Peninsula  and  Manila. 

As  one  writer  says  :  "The  Chinese  did  not  begin 
going  abroad  yesterday,"  but  for  more  than  300 
years  the  stream  of  emigration  has  not  ceased  its  ebb 
and  flow.  At  first  no  restrictions  whatsoever  were 
placed  by  the  government  upon  a  native's  desire 
to  go  abroad.  He  was  free  to  go  and  come  accord- 
ing to  his  own  sweet  will.  But  after  the  Manchus  had 
conquered  the  nation  a  new  regime  was  inaugurat- 
ed by  placing  stringent  limitations  upon  emigration. 
This  was  followed  (1718)  by  an  edict  recalling  all 
subjects  who  were  in  foreign  lands.  Finding  this 
ineffectual  the  government  became  still  more  severe, 
and  ten  years  later  (1728)  issued  a  proclamation 
which  stated  that  all  who  failed  to  obey  the 
summons  to  return  would  be  banished,  after  which 
capture  would  mean  death.  This  axe  hung  over 
their  heads  for  over  a  hundred  years.  It  was 
actually  only  rescinded  by  Imperial  Edict  in  1893. 
This  was  brought  about  thro  the  efforts  of  the 
Chinese  ambassador  to  England.  While  we  cannot 
believe  that  during  all  the  preceding  years  it  was 
anything  more  than  a  dead  letter,  for  Chinese 
emigration  had  been  declared  lawful  in  a  Conven- 
tion of  Peace  between  Great  Britain  and  China  at 
Peking  in  1860,  still  its  effect  must  have  been  felt 
in  some  measure  upon  those  who  desired  to  and  did 


1 64  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

return  to  their  native  land,  especially  those  who  had 
acquired  a  fortune.  These  latter  rarely  return  with- 
out first  having  become  citizens  of  another  country 
whose  passport  they  carry  with  them.  Returning 
from  the  Straits  Settlements  they  usually  come  back 
as  British  subjects  not  as  Chinese  subjects. 

For  the  better  regulation  of  the  coolie  traffic, 
which  had  grown  to  such  vast  proportions,  a 
Chamber  of  Commerce  composed  strictly  of  Chinese 
business  men,  was  inaugurated  by  Imperial  Edict  at 
this  port  in  1899.  ^  was  invested  with  certain 
powers  to  protect  the  interests  of  those  going  abroad, 
and  principally  to  look  after  them  when  they 
returned  by  keeping  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
land-sharks  who  awaited  their  coming.  Yet  in 
spite  of  all  these  precautions  very  few  Chinese 
who  have  made  their  fortune  abroad  return,  unless 
as  already  stated  above,  i.e.,  bearing  passports  of 
other  powers.  These  they  consider  the  only  sufficient 
protection. 

While  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  looks  after 
the  interests  of  those  who  return,  their  departure  is 
controlled  almost  exclusively  by  firms  established 
solely  for  this  purpose,  who  have  their  agents 
stationed  at  important  centers  in  this  district,  where 
coolies  are  recruited  pretty  much  after  the  same 
manner  as  soldiers  are  recruited  for  the  army.  In 
days  gone  by  (and  the  evil  is  said  not  to  be  entirely 
removed  in  these  days)  the  recruits  in  many 
instances  had  not  the  least  idea  where  they  were  to 


AMOY  EMIGRATION  165 

be  sent,  what  their  occupation  or  who  their  master 
was  to  be,  or  whether  they  were  to  be  placed  upon 
the  market  and  auctioned  off  as  so  much  chattel. 
When  it  comes  down  to  this  it  is  no  better  than  the 
slave  trade. 

The  benefits  of  the  Amoy  emigration  have  not 
been  few ;  the  economic  advantages  alone  have  been 
great.  Perhaps  this  alone  explains  the  prosperity 
of  this  district ;  it  is  hard  to  account  for  it  in  any 
other  way. 

It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  the  loss  of  the 
tea  trade  in  this  part  of  China  was  due  to  the  large 
number  of  laborers  leaving  this  port.  Perhaps  a 
more  correct  statement  would  be  this:  emigration 
was  due  to  the  loss  of  the  tea  trade,  or  the  impos- 
sibility of  cultivating  tea  here.  At  any  rate  the  tea 
trade  failed,  and  the  laboring  man  was  compelled  to 
seek  his  livelihood  elsewhere.  For  the  same  reason, 
because  many  of  the  avenues  to  fortune-making 
were  hermetically  sealed,  other  fields  were  sought 
by  the  business  man  and  the  merchant.  We  do  not 
wish  to  be  understood  to  say  that  emigration  did 
not  exist  before  the  failure  of  the  tea  trade,  but  it 
was  not  until  it  did  fail  that  the  Chinese  from  this 
port  went  abroad  in  anything  like  the  numbers  of 
to-day. 

From  official  reports  issued  by  the  Customs 
and  also  from  data  gathered  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  we  are  enabled  to  learn  something  of  the 
economic  advantages  which  this  place  gains  from 


1 66  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

the  emigration  of  its  people.  Figures  quoted  must 
not  be  considered  absolutely  exact  but  rather  as 
indicative  of  what  is  taking  place. 

From  the  Customs  Report  of  1906  we  find  that 
the  net  total  value  of  the  Import  Trade*  amounted 
to  about  14,800,000.  Hk.  taels,  while  the*  Export 
Trade f  amounted  to  only  2,500,000  Hk.  taels — a 
difference  that  would  be  ruinous  without  something 
to  offset  it.  Exported  labor  is  that  offset. 

First  of  all  it  is  claimed,  and  it  is  supported  by 
facts,  that  this  large  Import  Trade  is  clue  almost 
entirely  to  those  who  have  been  abroad,  or  whose 
families  reside  here  while  the  heads  of  households 
are  away.  That  is  to  say  it  has  been  created  to 
meet  the  new  necessities  which  have  been  born 
in  other  lands.  Thus  over  14,800,000  taels'  worth 
of  goods  have  been  brought  in  to  this  place  Avhich 
otherwise  would  not  have  been  brought  here.  This 
amount  therefore  may  rightly  belong  to  the  debit 
side  of  the  sheet. 

What  is  there  to  balance  this  on  the  other 
side  of  the  sheet?  On  the  credit  side  there  are  two 
sets  of  figures.  First  the  2,500,000,  Hk,  taels  worth 
of  exports.  But  to  this  we  must  add  the  money 
that  these  merchants  and  laborers  remit  every  year 
to  this  place.  It  is  not  easy  to  state  exactly  what 
that  amount  is,  but  it  has  been  estimated  to  be 


*Greatly  increased  in  1909  and  1910 
fStatistics  in  Appendix. 


AMOY  EMIGRATION  167 

between  10,000,000 — 20,000,000  Hk.  taels.  Let  us 
place  it  at  12.500,000  which,  if  anything,  is  too  low. 
This  we  may  rightly  put  on  the  credit  side  of  the 
sheet. 

It  will  be  seen  therefore  that  there  is  a  balance 
to  the  good  of  200,000  taels,  or  $300,000  Mex. 
Whether  these  figures  are  correct  or  not  it  is 
everywhere  apparent,  in  this  immediate  vicinity, 
at  least,  that  somehow  or  other  this  people  have  a 
surplus  of  money,  and  are  by  no  means  poverty 
stricken.  They  are  not  rich  as  a  class,  we  do  not 
wish  to  convey  that  impression,  but  travellers  who 
come  here  from  the  North  tell  us  that  the  people  in 
these  parts  dress  better  and  are  better  housed  than 
those  in  that  part  of  China.  And  we  can  discover 
no  other  way  to  explain  it  than  by  the  amount  of 
money  that  is  remitted  annually  from  abroad.  To 
look  about  us  and  see  what  is  done  in  agricultural 
pursuits  or  manufacturing  industries  is  to  find  no 
satisfactory  answer  for  this  prosperity,  but  alone,  or 
almost  entirely,  in  the  money  earned  in  other  lands. 

There  is  every  inducement  to  go  abroad  not  only 
because  of  wider  fields  but  because  ofjhigher  wages. 
Here  a  common  coolie  may  earn  $5  or  $6  per  month ; 
in  the  Straits  and  Manila  he  can  easily  double  it; 
Of  course  the  cost  of  living  is  increased  abroad,  but 
that  seems  to  be  more  than  balanced  by  increase  of 
wages.  This  great  exodus  of  workers  has  made  our 
servant  problem  a  most  vexing  one.  People  who 
have  lived  in  other  parts  of  China  and  take  up  their 


i68  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

residence  here  tell  us  that  nowhere  else  have  they 
had  such  difficulty  with  servants  as  they  experience 
here.  This  explains  it :  ail  the  best  servants  go 
abroad. 

Opportunities  being  better  in  other  spheres  of 
activity  as  well,  we  consequently  find  a  great  many 
business  men  and  merchants  establishing  themselves 
in  lucrative  occupations  abroad. 

But  it  should  at  the  same  time  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  advantage  of  emigration  has  not  been  alone 
in  the  field  of  economics.  "Unimpressionable  as 
the  Chinese  are  and  little  given  to  reflection,  un- 
consciously to  themselves  their  immigration  to 
Singapore  (and  Manila)  is  producing  a  great  moral 
effect  on  them.  They  are  brought  into  contact 
with  good  government,  liberty,  just  laws,  justly 
administered,  good  roads,  good  education,  etc. 
Under  these  conditions  they  thrive  and  have 
vague  aspirations  that  similar  happy  conditions 
should  be  established  in  China."  This  is  all 
true,  and  undoubtedly  the  mind  of  the  average 
Chinese  has  been  awakened  and  his  intellect 
quickened  as  never  before.  While  it  is  true  he  has 
remained  essentially  Chinese  yet  some  of  the 
rough  places  have  been  rubbed  off,  his  outlook 
broadened,  and  his  view  mightily  changed  and  cleared 
in  regard  to  many  things.  And  so  he  has  come  back 
to  his  own,  if  not  entirely  dissatisfied  with  the  old 
life  and  ways,  yet  fully  convinced  in  his  own  heart 
that  the  outer  world  has  much  to  teach  him  which 


AMOY  EMIGRATION  169 

will  make  him  a  better  and  more  useful  man. 
Besides  this  it  has  had  the^  result  of  tearing  down 
and  levelling  to  the  ground  that  high  wall  which 
onoe  surrounded  him. 

In  not  a  few  instances,  moreover,  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  influence  has  been  beyond 
calculation.  The  number  may  not  be  large,  but 
large  or  small,  who  can  estimate  such  advantages  ? 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR. 

The  Chinese  language  belongs  to  that  small 
family  of  monosyllabics  of  Southeastern  Asia,  which 
includes  the  Tibetan,  Corean,  Burmese,  and  Cochin- 
China.  It  is  a  language  "in  its  most  archaic  form" 
and  where  "every  word  is  a  root  and  every  root 
a  word. " 

As  a  matter  of  antiquity  the  Chinese  language, 
save  the  Hebrew,  has  no  rival.  It  is  the  most 
ancient  language  now  spoken,  and  the  oldest  written 
language  used  by  man.  As  a  question  of  numbers 
using  it,  it  stands  alone,  unique,  and  without  a  peer. 
For  nearly  forty  centuries,  if  riot  more,  it  has 
existed,  and  is  to-day  the  medium  of  thought  of 
more  than  one  third  of  the  human  race. 

In  the  written  language  of  China — and  for  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  language  we  must  ever 
bear  in  mind  the  distinction  between  the  written  and 
spoken — there  will  be  found  a  wide  range  of  topics, 
or  discussions,  covering  almost  every  field  of  fiction, 
history,  philosophy,  metaphysics,  poetry  and  art. 
Biography,  professional  essays,  state  papers; 
treatises  on  law,  music,  medicine,  mathematics, 
military  tactics,  cookery,  religion,  ethics;  satires, 
ballads,  love  stories,  and  ghost  stories,  abound 
in  the  vast  regions  of  Chinese  literature.  Its  liter- 


172  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

ature  is  voluminous.  The  General  Catalogue  of  the 
Imperial  Libraries,  composed  itself  of  112  octavo 
volumes  of  300  pages  each,  contains  the  names  of 
over  20,000  works,  "literary  monuments"  they  have 
been  called,  "reared  by  the  choicest  minds  of  one- 
third  of  the  human  family  in  the  ceaseless  toil  of 
thirty-six  centuries,"  and  more. 

Still  it  must  be  said,  in  passing,  that  beyond 
the  satisfaction  one  finds  in  the  very  interesting  and 
fascinating  study  of  the  mystical  ideographs,  and 
digging  out  the  wise  sayings  of  the  ancients  of  4,000 
years  ago,  the  reward  of  your  labor  will  be 
comparatively  small.  After  wading  thru  volume 
after  volume  filled  with  the  deeds  of  rulers  and 
princes,  little  or  nothing  about  the  people,  innumer- 
able wise  sayings,  counsels,  lofty  aspirations  of  sage 
and  scholar,  it  will  be  discovered  that  there  are  no 
such  treasures  of  thought,  no  such  storehouses  of 
knowledge,  of  philosophy,  of  science,  and  of  travel, 
etc.,  as  will  be  found  in  the  fields  of  Western  liter- 
ature. Chinese  literature  is  like  a  great  wide  ocean 
of  books — books  every  where — yet  with  comparative- 
ly little  to  quench  or  satisfy  the  thirst  after  know- 
ledge and  truth. 

However  it  is  not  the  literature  of  China  that 
we  are  to  consider  but  the  structure  of  the  language 
that  is  to  engage  our  attention. 

I.  There  are  several  remarkable  features  of 
this  language  which  it  will  be,  first  of  all,  interest- 
ing to  notice. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR  173 

(  i  )  There  have  been  few  changes  made  in  the 
style  of  composition.  Ancient  as  it  is,  during  all 
these  centuries  the  style  remains  the  same.  The 
standard  books  of  to-day  differ  very  little,  if  any, 
from  the  style  of  the  books  written  a  thousand  or 
more  years  ago. 

(2)  It  is  the  language  read,  and  in  its  different 
vernaculars  and  dialects,  the  language  spoken,  not 
only  by  the  400,000,000  people  of  the  empire  itself, 
but  it  is  extensively  used  in  the  state  papers  and  in 
other  ways  by  the  people  of  Japan,    Corea,   Loo- 
choo,  Tongkin,  Cochin-China,  Siam,  Singapore,  and 
the  East  Indies  —  a  number  exceeding  500,000,000  — 
covering  an  area  equal  to,  or  exceeding,  the  whole 
of  Europe. 

(3)  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  all 
is  that  it  is  not  spoken  as  it  is  written  in  this  part 
of  China  at  any  rate. 

Take   for  example  the   i6th  verse  of  the  3rd 
Chapter  of  St.  John's  Gospel. 

>V>»          "5^       HP         -}fS2       ~^$~- 

•£.    m      in    st 


inn'* 
Jfc,    3£     fin     «    ft.    £    ± 

*   n    %  n   t.  ^ 

ft     *     JJC   11    *    &. 

The  written  language  reads  :  Kai  Siong-t^  i 
tok-seng  chi  chu  su  se"  pi  sin  chi  chia  bian  tim  lun 
ji  tek  eng  seng  ki  ai  ju  chhu. 

A  Chinese  in  Amoy  might  read  that  all  day 
long  and  not  one  of  his  hearers  would  have  the 


174  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

remotest  conception  of  what  lie  was  endeavoring 
to  say.  For  this  reason :  Take  the  very  first 
ideograph  Kai.  Because  there  are  scores  of  other 
ideographs  of  the  very  same  sound,  no  one  would 
know  for  sure  which  particular  Kai  this  was,  nor 
what  this  particular  Kai  meant.  With  the  others, 
the  same  difficulty  would  be  encountered.  They 
would  all  be  unintelligible.  But  let  them  be  trans- 
lated, if  we  may  use  such  a  term,  into  the  spoken 
language,  i.e.,  the  *Amoy  vernacular  for  instance, 
and  it  becomes  thoroughly  intelligible. 

Hence  we  have :  In-ui  Siong-te  eng  t6k-sia  £ 
kian  siun-su  se-kan,  ho  sin  i  £  Idng  m-sai  biat-bo, 
chiutit-tioh  eng-oan-oah,  I  thia"  se-kan  chhin-chhiu" 
an-ni. 

We  might  multiply  examples,  but  they  would 
all  illustrate  the  same  thing.  So  it  is  unnecessary. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  at  once,  that  in  order 
to  become  anything  approaching  a  scholar,  or  to  lay 
any  claim  to  scholarship  in  China — to  say  nothing 
about  understanding  how  to  use  the  language — -it  is 
necessary  not  only  to  have  a  knowledge  of  the 
spoken,  but  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  written 
(tho  unspoken),  language. 

In  so  far  as  Amoy  is  concerned  the  student  will 
be  obliged  to  learn  not  only  the  spoken  (colloquial) 
sound  of  each  character  but  the  ideographic  sound 
as  well. 


*  Used  by  10,000,000  people. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR  175 

It  is  something  like  this,  to  use  a  very  simple 
illustration :  Supposing  A,  B,  and  C.  were  arbitrary 
characters  (ideographs)  ^instead  of  letters  of  our 
alphabet.  Let  us  assume  that  A,  B,  and  C  are  the 
ideographic,  or  character  sounds.  Then,  supposing 
that  A  stands  for  "man,"  B  for  "dog,"  and  C  for 
"cat,"  which  in  each  instance  represents  its  spoken 
(colloquial)  sound.  Hence  we  have  two  sounds, 
the  written:  A,B,C;  and  the  spoken:  man,  dog,  cat. 
Now  I  might  read  A,B,C,  for  any  indefinite  length 
of  time  and  not  a  single  Chinese  here  would 
have  an  inkling  of  what  I  was  endeavoring  to  say, 
but  so  soon  as  I  said  man,  dog,  cat,  he  would  under- 
stand immediately. 

The  written  (classical )  language  probably  never 
was  spoken.  Each  province,  county,  or  district  as 
the  case  might  be,  having  its  own  vernacular,  which 
scholar  and  peasant  alike  use  in  all  the  ordinary 
affairs  of  their  daily  intercourse;  they  speak  in  the 
vernacular,  or  dialect  of  that  particular  locality, 
never  thinking  of  using  the  written  language  sounds 
(at  least  this  is  true  in  Fukien).  It  would  only 
prove  so  much  jargon  if  one  attempted  it. 

While  this  is  all  so,  yet  the  nature  of  this 
wonderful  written  language  is  such,  that  it  can  be 
read  and  understood  everywhere  and  anywhere  over 
the  entire  country  from  the  great  desert  on  the  north 
to  the  gulf  on  the  south  ;  from  the  Hermit  kingdom 
on  the  west  to  the  boundless  sea  on  the  east.  That 
is  to  say,  Sam  Ling  living  in  Canton  can  write  a 


176  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

letter  to  Lim  Sing  in  Amoy  (300  miles  away)  who 
can  understand  it  perfectly,  yet  if  these  two  persons 
should  meet  they  could  no  more  understand  each 
other  in  conversation  than  either  of  them  could 
understand  you,  nor  any  better  than  a  Scotchman 
could  understand  a  German.  This  is  because  the 
vernaculars  and  dialects  all  over  China  are  so 
different  (a  subject  we  will  discuss  iatec,).  There 
are  said  to  be  over  one  hundred  different  dialects. 

11.      We  pass  on  now  to  the  consideration  of 
the  spoken  language. 

The  Chinese  language  has  been  called  a 
monosyllabic  language.  In  so  far  as  the  written 
language  is  concerned,  that  is  strictly  correct,  but 
not  so  with  the  spoken,  which  will  appear  more 
clearly  when  we  take  up  the  matter  of  Amoy 
Romanization  in  the  next  chapter.  Each  ideograph, 
it  is  true,  stands  for  a  monosyllabic  word,  but  when 
one  or  more  are  translated  in  the  spoken  language, 
a  single  word  is  formed  which  may  be  dissyllabic 
or  even  trisyllabic.  For  example,  the  ideograph  fe 
Kong,  and  the  ideograph  ^  Gu,  form  the  single 
word  Gu-kang,  male  cow,  i.e.,  a  bull.  So  with  ^C 
Sui,  and  ^  Gu  forming  Sui-gu,  a  water  cow,  i.e., 
the  water  buffalo,  Ta-p6-lang,  literally  a  male 
person,  i.e.,  a  man;  Tsa-bo-lang,  literally  a  female 
person,  i.e.,  a  daughter;  Pai-tohrlang,  a  set-the-table 
person,  i.e.,  a  waiter;  Tsu-chiah,  the  chef,  etc. 

There  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  acquiring 
this  language  that  at  first  seem  insurmountable. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR  177 

(i)  The  first  problem  one  meets  is  that  of 
sounds  and  tones.  It  is  a  language  composed 
entirely  of  these.  The  distinction  in  tones,  and  the 
number  of  them,,  varies  in  different  parts  of  China. 
In  the  Amoy  vernacular  there  are  seven  tones; 
in  some  vernaculars  there  are  only  four.  While 
there  are  anywhere  from  40,000  to  80,000  different 
ideographs  (called  characters)  in  the  written  lan- 
guage, they  are  comprised  within  the  astonishingly 
small  compass  of  about  400  or  500  syllabic  sounds. 
By  including  tones,  aspirates  and  nasals  this  number 
is  increased  to  about  2,000  different  sounds.  That 
is  to  say  there  may  be  40,  50,  100,  or  more,  of  these 
characters  with  the  very  same  sound,  but  distinguish- 
ed by  the  different  tones,  aspirates  and  nasals.  It 
can  therefore  be  seen  how  duplications  and 
reduplications,  not  only  of  the  same  sound,  but 
more  frequently  of  the  same  tone,  must  occur.  We 
have  something  approaching  it,  tho  only  to  the 
slightest  degree,  in  our  English  language  in  words 
like:  rite,  right,  write,  wright;  sound — a  noise,  or 
sound — a  body  of  water;  ring — a  circle, — an  orna- 
ment, to  ring — of  a  chime  of  bells,  and  wring — to 
twist.  An  amusing  story  is  told  of  an  Irish  woman's 
use  of  the  verb  to  eat.  In  soliciting  money,  as 
she  was  in  destitute  circumstances,  she  pleaded  her 
cause  in  a  letter  by  stating  that  she  had  "nothing  to 
eight  in  the  house." 

These  words  are  all  confusing,  especially  to  a 
foreigner  learning  the  English  language.    He  would 


178  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

need  to  stop  a  moment  to  think  which  rite,  which 
sound,  which  ring,  or  which  "ate,"  was  meant.  His 
best  guide  would  be  the  drift  of  the  conversation, 
or  the  formation  of  the  sentences  he  heard.  It  is 
identically  the  same  with  the  Chinese  spoken 
language;  tho  the  difficulty  (from  our  point  of  view) 
is  increased  many  fold.  For  it  is  possible  to  have  a 
single  word  written  out  in  the  Amoy  Romanized 
Colloquial,  i.e.,  the  spoken  language,  with  far  less 
distinction  in  spelling  than  rite,  write,  and  wright. 
represent  seven  entirely  different  meanings.  For 
example,  the  word  Kan.  Kau,  kau,  kau,  kauh,  kau, 
kau,  kauh.  Each  of  these  has  a  different  meaning, 
and  each  only  distinguished  by  its  own  particular 
tone.  Therefore  %J  Kau,  a  hook;  f§J  Kau,  a  dog; 
3U  Kau,  to  arrive ;  jgjj  Kauh,  mouldy ;  f^r  Kau,  a 
monkey;  Jft  Kau,  thick;  and  ^  Kauh,  insipid. 

Just  to  illustrate  the  importance  of  these  tones, 
and  how  extremely  difficult  it  is,  as  you  may  imagine, 
to  avoid  saying  something  different  from  what  was 
intended,  let  me  relate  some  blunders  that  have  been 
made  by  new  comers,  the  new,  raw  recruits. 

Even  advocates  of  the  Evolution  theory  would 
have  been  startled  to  have  heard  a  young  missionary, 
in  the  height  of  his  eloquence  declare;  -'We  are 
all  evolved  from  a  duck's  egg."  What  he  intended 
to  say  was  that  we  were  all  descended  from  Adam. 
Simply  misapplication  of  first  principles — tones.  For 
g&^  A-tong  (Adam)  he  used  $|§r  Ah-tong  duck's 
egg.  Think  how  his  audience  must  have  been 


! 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR  179 

shocked  when  a  young  minister,  instead  of  saying 
"Lord  of  lords"  in  speaking  of  the  Almighty,  said 
"an  unsurpassed  petticoat."  Kun  |g  for  Kun  f*. 
A  lady  thought  she  had  asked  her  servant  to  pour 
the  gravy  over  the  meat.  You  may  be  able  to  sym- 
pathize with  her  when  she  discovered  him  emptying 
the  molasses  jug  over  it.  Yet  he  was  obeying  orders 
to  the  very  letter.  It  was  simply  the  difference 
between  |f  thfig — molasses,  and  IJL  thng — gravy. 
Do  you  wonder  a  servant  went  into  a  fit  in  his  effort 
to  restrain  himself  from  peals  of  laughter,  when  his 
master  told  him  to  go  upstairs  get  his  boots,  bring 
them  down  and  boil  an  egg  in  them  for  him.  |c| 
Oe  boots,  for  ^  Oe  a  small  earthen  vessel  used  for 
cooking. 

(2).  The  distinction  between  aspirated  and 
unaspirated  words  is  nearly  as  difficult.  For 
example,  HJ  Tien — a  field,  ^  Thien — heaven  ;  $0 
Ti— a  spider,  $jl]  Thi— to  shave  ;  Q|  Khia— to  ride, 
^  Kii— to  carry.  Many  the  man  who  has  made 
trouble  for  himself  over  this,  as  the  following  will 
illustrate. 

A  missionary,  young  in  the  service,  was  once 
calling  on  a  Chinese  gentleman.  Getting  rather  puzzled 
for  topics  of  conversation  he  ventured  the  question  : 
"  Do  you  drink  wine  ?  "  For  an  answer  he  received 
only  the  stare  of  blank  amazement  from  the  man  of 
the  house.  Failing  to  receive  an  answer,  and  fearing 
the  man  had  not  understood  him,  he  repeated  his 
question  with  still  greater  emphasis  (which  at  the 


i8o  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

same  time  tended  to  make  his  blunder  all  the  more 
glaring)  and  in  order  to  make  himself  clear  stood 
this  time  and  fairly  shouted,  "  Do  you  drink  wine?" 
That  is  what  he  thought  he  said,  but  what  he 
did  not  say.  Raising  both  hands  above  his  head, 
the  host  also  fairly  shouted  his  astonishment : 
"Well !  I  have  not  eaten  them  yet."  For  the  real 
question  was,  not  whether,  he  drank  wine,  but  "Do 
you  eat  (your)  hands?"  The  difference  between 
the  aspirated  ^  Chhiu,  hand,  and  the  unaspi  rated 'jfg 
Chiu,  wine. 

Probably  the  best  story  is  that  of  a  bachelor 
missionary  who  told  his  cook  to  buy  him  a  chicken 
for  dinner,  or  rather  he  supposed  he  did.  His 
parting  injunction  was  to  get  the  best  the  market 
afforded,  the  finest  and  youngest  he  could  lay  his 
hands  on.  Mr.  Cook  went  forth  with  a  broad  smile 
on  his  face,  tho  realizing  he  had  a  large  contract 
on  his  hands.  Still,  he  was  confident  of  his  ability 
to  execute  the  order  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Sian- 
si  (teacher).  Dinner  time  came, but  not  a  sign  of  a 
chicken  or  cook,  This  looked  rather  strange  on  the 
face  of  it.  This  was  unusual.  It  had  the  appearance 
of  taking  French  leave,  but  he  could  not  believe  that 
of  his  faithful  old  factotum,  so  he  began  to  make 
excuses  for  his  tardiness  by  saying:  "The  cook  must 
be  having  a  hard  time  buying  a  chicken  to-day.  He 
must  have  run  up  against  a  corner  on  chickens  sure." 
Perhaps  he  was  ready  to  excuse  the  man  on  the 
ground  that  like  all  Chinese  the  lapse  of  time  is  of 


\ 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR  181 

little,  or  no  consequence,  in  any  transaction.  What- 
ever it  was  he  decided  not  to  despair  over  the 
unusual  proceedings.  But 'when  the  hours  of  the 
afternoon  began  to  wane,  and  the  supper  hour 
approached  and  still  no  cook  or  chicken,  his  alarm 
was  deep  and  unconcealed.  There  was  now  no 
explanation  that  fitted  the  occasion.  About  eight 
o'clock  the  belated,  over-due  cook  arrived,  weary, 
hungry  and  with  a  woe  begone  expression  written 
on  his  face.  Without  stopping  to  make  any  pre- 
liminary remarks  he  at  once  made  bold  to  explain 
the  cause  of  his  prolonged  absence.  "Teacher,"  he 
said  "this  has  been  a  bad  day  to  buy  a  wife,  and 
please  understand  that  it  has  been  a  tiresome  one  for 
me.  In  the  first  place,  they  are  scarce ;  in  the  second 
place,  those  to  be  had  are  high — the  old  law  of 
supply  and  demand — as  high  as  $100;  I  did  not 
think  you  could  afford  such  a  high  priced  wife — but 
nil  desperandum — I  have  scoured  the  county  and 
have  at  last  succeeded  in  finding  one  within 
your  limits.  She  is  not  what  you  might  call  a  beauty, 
nor  is  she  young,  but  she  is  the  best  that  can  be 
found  for  the  money,  and  you  can  have  her  for 
$30  Mex."  As  the  principals  of  this  story  are  not 
located  in  Amoy,  I  am  unable  to  say  how  the  young 
bachelor  escaped  from  his  dilemma,  but  the  mistake 
arose  from  the  use  of  an  aspirated  word  for  an 
unaspirated,*  using  f|  Ts'i,  instead  of  '$&  Chi. 

*  Dialect  used  up  north. 


1 82  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

There  is  a  custom  in  Amoy  of  allowing  the 
dead  to  remain  in  the  house  a  week,  or  even  a  year 
sometimes,  before  burial.  While  calling  on  a  family 
which  had  lost  a  grandmother  by  death,  a  visitor 
asked  the  question,  "  Have  you  buried  your  grand- 
mother yet  ?"  The  question  evidently  made  a  wrong 
impression  for  they  all  looked  horrified.  The  caller 
was  equally  horrified  when  he  discovered  that  he 
had  been  asking  whether  they  had  yet  "cut  off  the 
head  of  their  grandmother."  He  had  used  the  word 
|£Thai,  to  behead,  for  jg»Tai,  to  bury. 

Then  there  are  the  nasals.  For  example.  $J 
Khi",  to  seize ;  3f£  Kin,  a  border ;  |*  Thian.  to  hear : 
M  Tian,  to  stumble;  -ft*  Tin,  sweet;  ffi  Ti,  a  pig. 
So  when  one  asked  another  if  his  coffee  tasted  "ti," 
like  pig,  instead  of  "ti°,"  sweet,  you  can  understand 
what  a  mess  he  made  of  it.  Accuracy,  or  rather  the 
want  of  accuracy  has  caused  many  an  embarrassing 
moment  to  the  uninitiated.  For  instance,  one  is 
apt  to  think  that  H  3f  Koe-nfig  means  eggs  of  all 
kinds,  w7hen  it  means  hen's  eggs  and  hen's  eggs  only. 
A  company  of  Chinese  therefore  were  convulsed 
with  merriment  when  they  heard  their  hostess  say, 
in  referring  to  some  fine  large  duck  eggs  on  the 
table :  "These  large  hen's  eggs  were  laid  by  a  favorite 
duck.'' 

So  with  regard  to  the  word  for  milk.  ^$5 
Gft-lin  is  not  the  word  for  all  kinds  of  milk,  as  a 
young  mother  found  to  her  sorrow.  When  we  say 
milk  in  English  we  do  not  stop  to  distinguish.  It 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR          183 

is  all  milk' — providing  it  is  not  watered  stock.  That 
will  not  do  in  Chinese.  It  refers  to  the  word,  not  the 
quality  of  the  milk,  for  the  Chinese  have  long  ago 
learned  the  trick  of  mixing  milk  with  water.  But 
for  the  story.  This  young  mother  not  only  shocked, 
but  really  insulted  a  wet  nurse  of  her  baby's  on 
account  of  this  indiscrimination.  Her  baby  was  not 
thriving  as  she  thought  th^  child  ought  to  under  the 
lacteal  treatment  of  the  nurse,  and  she  was  inclined 
to  blame  the  nurse  for  it.  Finally  she  said  :  "It 
must  be  because  your  Gu-lin  (cow's  milk)  is  not  good." 

The  use  of  the  right  word  is  also  important,  and 
a  matter  to  be  constantly  watched.  The  Chinese 
seem  to  have  a  particular  word  for  every  particular 
thing  under  heaven,  and  a  particular  time  and  place 
to  use  it.  JjE  Pui  means  fat,  but  to  tell  a  man  he  is 
pui,  is  about  equivalent  to  telling  a  man  he  lies,  in 
English.  Pui  is  used  properly,  only  when  one  is 
speaking  of  fat  pigs,  or  other  animals.  Never  tell 
a  Chinese  that  he  is  pui,  not  if  you  want  him  to 
love  you.  He  may  forgive  you,  but  he  cannot  think 
of  you  as  anything  else  than  an  ignoramus  of  the 
deepest  die. 

The  use  of  synonyms,  j&lk.  Khi-he  means  to 
light  a  fire,  but  it  does  not  follow  at  all  that  ^gjgl 
Khi-teng  means  to  light  a. lamp.  For  the  latter  it  is 
only  proper  to  say  8fe§£  Tiam-teng.  You  j^fg 
TV-bo,  put  on  your  hat ;  you  I^Hl  Chheng-oz,  put  on 
your  shoes  ;  and  you  |£8j|ii  A^w-bak-kia,  put  on 
your  glasses. 


1 84  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  use  of  classifiers.  Classifiers  create  the 
greatest  confusion.  Every  noun  has  its  own 
particular  classifier,  and  not  to  give  it  correctly  is  the 
same  as  to  commit  an  unpardonable  grammatical 
error  in  English. 

You  must  say  : 

Chit-tiau  han-chu,  one  sweet-potato  ;  — ^. 

Chit-tiau  h6,  one  river 
This  classifier  is  used  also  when  speaking  of  ropes, 
roads,  laws,  affairs,  accounts,  etc 

Chit-tiu"  phoe,  one  letter.  — jJUfg 

Chit-tiu"  bin-chhng,  one  bed.  —  jjgjffc 

Also   used    when    speaking    of    pieces    of    paper, 
carriages,  bows,  harps,  etc. 

Chit-ki  pit,  one  pencil  — 'l^^f*: 

Chit-ki  to,  one  knife.  — ££ 7J 

Chit  mng  chheng,  one  gun.  — '#F^ 

Also  when   speaking    of    poles,   masts,    and   long 
straight  things. 

Chit-te  i,  one  chair. 

ChiMi  toll,  one  table 
Also  when  speaking  of  bowls,  and  small  bits  of 
various  articles. 

Chit-teng  kio,  one  sedan  chair. 

Chit-teng  bo,  one  hat. 

Chit-liap  chhi",  one  star.  —  ££ 

Chit  liap  koe-nng,  one  hen's  egg.          — $£!! 

Chit-Hap  bi;,  one  grain  of  rice. 

Chit-liap  chioh-nng,  one  pebble. 

Chit-liap  ioh-oan,  one  pill. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR         185 

But  perhaps  the  use  of  the  verb  is  the  most 
puzzling-  of  all.  There  are  at  least  six  verbs  that 
mean  to  cut ;  and  unless  you  know  when  and  where 
to  use  each  properly,  you  do  not  know  how  to  use 
the  Chinese  language  correctly. 
For  example. 

Ka,  to  cut  with  a  pair  of  scissors.  ^ 

Koah,  to  cut  grass  with  a  sickle.  f$ 

Choeh,  to  cut  meat,  on  the  table.  IfiJifT 

Chho,  to  cut  down  a  tree.  $C 

Phut,  to  cut  off  with  one  stroke.  $? 

Chdm,  to  cut  horizontally.  ^f 

Thin,  to  sew  on  a  button.  jjH 

Pang,  to  sew  a  hem.  $| 

Chhiam,  to  sew  a  seam,  with  one  thread.        |f| 
Teng,  to  sew  a  seam,  with  two  threads.          §f 
Kap,  to  make  a  seam  so  the  thread  is  not  seen,  fe 
Tio,  to  sew  one  piece  on  another. 
K6an,  to  carry  in  a  basket.  g| 

Phong,  to  carry  in  both  hands.  ^ 

Phang,  to  carry  in  one  hand.  ^ 

Pho,  to  carry  in  the  arms.  Jg 

Kng,  to  carry  on  a  pole.  ft 

Xi,  to  carry  between  two  fingers.  ^ 

Gia,  Kia,  to  carry  on  the  shoulders.  ;f| 

Than,  to  carry  on  the  palms  raised.  ^ 

Pe,  to  carry,  as  a  cross,  on  the  back.  j£ 

Ngoeh,  to  carry  an  umbrella.  ^ 

Kiah,  to  carry  a  lamp.  J|L^ 

Ta",  to  carry  on  a  pole.  ig 


1 86  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Cheng,  to  strike  with  the  lists.  i£ 

Sian,  to  strike  with  the  palms.  #fc 

Long,  to  strike  with  a  beam. 

Kun,  to  strike  with  a  stick.  $g 

Ngeh,  hang  in  a  clamp.  Tfc 

Kui,  hang  on  the  wall.  ?& 

Tiau,  to  hang  a  man.  Jg 

Ni,  to  hang  on  a  line. 

Koa,  to  hang  on  a  chain.  $jj. 

Sufficient  examples  have  here  been  given  to  show 
the  difficulty  of  the  use  of  the  verb. 

Then  there  are  polite  phrases  galore,  phrases 
one  only  uses  in  speaking  to  superiors,  and  other 
phrases  one  only  uses  in  addressing  inferiors,  and 
unless  used  correctly  you  become  at  once  the 
laughing  stock  of  all. 

Chinese  Grammar.  Some  affirm  that  there  is 
no  Chinese  Grammar, — at  apy  rate  it  is  a  secondary 
matter.  This  disposition  of  it,  however,  by  no 
means  removes  the  difficulty ;  in  fact  the  very  want 
of  grammar  seems  to  create  many  difficulties.  When 
one  begins  studying  the  language  the  probability  is 
that  the  verdict  will  be,  it  is  exceedingly  easy,  and 
one  begins  to  doubt  all  that  has  ever  been  said  upon 
the  subject.  And  so  for  the  first  two  or  three 
months  all  is  fair  sailing,  and  it  seems  as  simple  as 
A.B.C.  Without  any  desire  to  discourage  anyone 
we  must  warn  you  that  storms  are  ahead.  Before 
six  months  have  passed  you  will  have  committed 
enough  blunders  to  fill  a  comic  almanac,  while  you 


NEW  CUSTOMS  HOUSE 
OPENED  JULY  26TH.  1909. 


OLD  CUSTOM  HOUSE. 


SIGNAL  STATION. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR         187 

yourself  will  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  it  is 
about  the  most  headless  and  tailless  subject  you 
ever  encountered,  and  the  goal  of  your  ambition  to 
use  it  fluently  within  a  year  appears  further  off  than 
at  the  start. 

There  seem  to  be  no  moods,  tenses,  or  cases,  to 
worry  your  mind,  but  after  a  time  that  very  fact 
appears  to  be  more  annoying,  and  a  source  of 
greater  bother  than  anything  else  imaginable,  and 
the  deeper  you  go  into  it  the  more  intricate  it 
becomes.  You  will  be  puzzled  to  know  whether 
the  word  before  you  is  a  noun,  a  verb,  or  an  adverb, 
let  alone  the  question  of  mood,  tense,  or  case. 
About  the  only  way  of  knowing  is,  if  a  verb  fits  it 
is  a  verb;  if  a  noun  fits  better  it  is  a  noun.  It  is 
very  similar  to  making  an  egg  stand  on  end,  which 
is  simple  enough  if  you  know  how.  For  example, 
the  word  ft|  Sin,  may  mean  fidelity,  faithful, 
faithfully,  or  to  believe. 

The  old  adage:  "Practice  makes  perfect"  finds 
truest  exemplification  in  the  acquisition  of  the 
Chinese  language.  The  author  knows  of  no  better 
way  to  acquire  it  than  just  to  keep  hammering  and 
pegging  away  at  it  until  you  know  it. 

There  are  those  however  who  hold  that  the 
rules  of  grammar,  syntax,  etc.,  are  to  be  found  in 
the  structure  of  the  language  as  in  other  languages 
but  in  a  different  way.  They  will  tell  you  that  they 
are  to  be  discovered  in  the  collocation  of  words, 
and  in  the  use  of  particles;  that  number,  gender. 


1 88  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

case,  mood,  and  tense,  are  indicated  by  adjuncts; 
and  nouns,  by  formative  particles. 

The  plural  will  be  indicated  either  by  duplica- 
tion of  words,  e.g.,  XA  lang-lang,  many  men;  or 
by  prefixing  a  numeral,  e.g.,  HA.  nng-lang,  two 
men,  HA  san-lang,  three  men.  At  times  this  is 
true,  at  other  times  it  is  not  true,  especially  in  the 
written  character,  when  a  guess  must  be  made. 

Adjectives  precede  nouns,  e.g.,  red  light,  gray 
cat.  Comparison  is  formed  by  the  addition  of  pani- 
cles, e.g.,  #?  Ho,  good ;  1[ gf  Khah-ho,  better :  ijg — £f 
Te-it  ho,  best.  Frequently  it  is  formed  by  anti- 
thesis. While  we  would  say:  "It  is  easier  to  preach 
than  to  practice,"  the  Chinese  would  say:  "To 
preach  is  easy,  to  practice  is  difficult."  (Kong 
to-li  si  koe-koe,  lai  kia"  i  si  chin  oh). 

III.  Let  us  now  tttrn  our  thongJit  to  the 
written  language. 

Each  ideograph,  or  character,  represents  an 
idea  or  an  object,  tho  not  always  the  same  idea  or 
object.  Sometimes  it  may  be  a  noun,  at  other 
times  it  is  just  as  likely  to  be  a  verb  or  adjective. 
e.g.,  Sin  as  we  have  already  seen  on  the  preceding 
page.  In  one  place  it  may  mean  one  thing,  in 
another  it  may  mean  something  entirely  different, 
perhaps  have  a  totally  opposite  signification.  For 
example,  the  character  jg,  To.  It  may  mean  a 
road,  a  rule,  a  reason,  a  doctrine ;  at  other  times  it 
may  mean  to  rule,  to  follow,  to  lead.  So  with  Jg 
Li'.  It  may  mean  a  shoe,  disposition,  official  salary: 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR         189 

at  other  times  it  may  mean  to  walk;  to  act.  So 
also  with  ;gj  Kong.  You  may  be  puzzled  to  know 
whether  it  means  merit  or  efficacy;  I  Kong,  whether 
it  refers  to  work  or  to  the  worker ;  jefc  Kong,  whether 
it  means  to  attack  a  city  or  to  capture  a  city,  fc 
Kong,  whether  it  means  male,  grandfather,  duke, 
common,  or  public. 

It  must  have  required  a  genius,  or  great 
ingenuity  to  construct  a  language  composed  of 
characters  for  every  object  and  every  idea  sought 
to  be  expressed.  Yet  so  clever  were  the  Chinese 
in  this  matter  that  Kang-hi's  dictionary  contains 
over  40,000  different  ideographs  and  these  are  not 
all  by  half.  The  total  number  is  said  to  be  80,000. 
some  even  placing  it  as  high  as  260,000.  Those  in 
common  use  never  exceed  8,000.  Business  men 
get  along  with  2,000  or  3,000.  The  Chinese  penal 
code  contains  3,000.  The  Bible  has  about  4,000. 

According  to  modern  classification  (i6th 
century)  more  for  a  matter  of  convenience  than 
anything  else,  the  whole  system  of  the  written 
language  has  been  made  to  center  around  214 
radicals  or  keys.  In  the  6th  century  there  were 
about  540  radicals.  Every  character  therefore  may 
be  said  to  consist  of  a  primitive  and  a  radical*  Not 
that  the  primitive  existed  first,  necessarily ;  the  term 
is  used  simply  to  distinguish  it  from  the  radical.  In 
every  character  one  at  least  of  these  radicals  will 
fee  found.  For  example  in  the  character  &  Hap, 
p  is  the  (3Oth )  radical,  A  is  the  primitive;  in  J^ 


190  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Gu,  »*»  is  the  (4Oth)  radical,  H  is  the  primitive;  in 
£$  Chu.  "fa  is  the  (nth)  radical,  |£  is  the  primitive, 
Of  these  214  radicals 

27  refer  to  parts  of  the  body,  e.g.,  p  mouth  ;  &  foot. 

22  refer  to  animals,  etc.  ,,  #5  tiger ;  $.  fish. 

15  refer  to  plants,  etc.  ,,  jjc  grain  ;  jfc  rice. 

5  refer  to  minerals,  ,,  ft  stone ;  3£  gem. 

ii  refer  to  the  elements,  etc.  ,  jg  rain  ;  ^  fire. 


27  refer  to  utensils,  etc. 
23  refer  to  qualities,  etc. 
33  refer  to  actions,  etc. 


knife  ;      JH  dishes, 
black  ;      jg  high, 
to  walk  ;  ^  to  eat. 
cave  ;        g,  city. 


5i  are  miscellaneous, 

In  the  standard  dictionaries  anywhere  from 
five  to  fourteen  hundred  different  characters  are 
arranged  under  each  of  these  214  radicals. 

In  most  cases  perhaps  these  radicals  will  indicate 
the  root  meaning  of  the  character.  Of  course  there 
are  instances,  and  plenty  of  them,  where  this  is 
not  the  case.  But  take  that  character  $j|  To,  a 
road,  already  alluded  to.  The  radical  is  ^  Chhiok. 
meaning  to  walk  fast.  Hence  something  to  walk 
fast  on  i.e.,  a  road.  Take  that  class  of  characters 
with  the  (9th)  radical  for  man,  and  the  (6ist) 
radical  for  heart,  viz :  A  J™>  an&  *fr  Sim.  It  will 
be  found  that  in  the  first  instance  such  characters 
will  refer  to  human  relationships.  Hence  fc  Jin-ai, 
benevolence;  in  regard  to  the  second  they  will  be 
found  to  refer  to  the  faculties  and  affections. 
Hence  J£  Ai\  love;  JF  i  purpose,  intention. 

For  some  length  of  time  the  spoken  language 
existed  before  the  written.  Just  how  long  a  time 
this  was.  no  one  seems  to  know.  The  date  of  the 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR          191 

written  language  is  therefore  "lost  in  the  earliest 
periods  of  postdeluvian  history."  There  are  those 
who  would  fix  the  date  as  early  as  the  time  of 
"The  Three  Kings''  B.C.  2700,  when  a  distinguish- 
ed person  called  Tsaug-ke,  while  rambling  thro 
the  paddy-fields,  chanced  to  discover  a  tortoise 
beanti fully  spotted  and  decorated  on  its  outer  shell. 
He  picked  it  up  and  carried  it  to  his  home.  For 
some  reason  or  other  (none  given),  from  these 
circles  and  lines  that  he  saw  so  gracefully  drawn 
on  the  reptile's  back,  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
representing  objects  which  he  observed  about  him, 
with  ideographs.  He  carefully  studied  the  form  of 
the  stars,  of  birds,  of  mountains,  of  rivers,  etc.,  etc., 
and  so  produced  his  characters  to  resemble  them  as 
nearly  as  possible.  The  first  attempts  were  nothing- 
more  than  simple  pictures,  or  rough  outlines  of  the 
object  or  idea  he  wished  to  represent.  Yet,  as  has 
been  said.  "They  formed  a  record  which  could  be 
read  with  substantial  accuracy,  tho  with  variations 
of  expressions,  by  everyone/'  So  its  genesis  was 
merely  a  language  of  pictures,  a  story  in  picture,  or 
a  song,  something  perhaps  like  the  language  of  the 
Indians. 

Philologists*  have  arranged   these  ideographs 
under  six  classes :  viz., 

(i)   The  first  is  called  "Symbols   of   Resem- 
blance "  :  0  Jit,  the  sun ;  {  Geh,  the  moon ;  ^  Chu,  a 

*  Chinese  Repository  Vol.  III.  Pgs.  11-24. 
The  Middle  Kingdom  Vol.  I.  Page  583. 


192  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

son ;  =0  B6k,  the  eye ;  foi  Ma,  the  horse ;  C3  San,  a 
mountain ;  =J=  Hi,  a  fish ;  )K  Bak,  a  tree ;  <$)  Sim, 
heart.  The  total  number  of  this  class  is  680. 
They  are  little  more  than  simple  outlines,  or  rude 
pictures  of  the  objects  indicated. 

(2)  Then  we  come  to  a  class  of  characters, 
fewer   in   number   than  the   foregoing,  which  are 
known  by  the  name  of  "Symbols  of  Thought." 
<b  Sek,  the  moon  half  appearing,  i.e.,  the  evening; 
.£.  Tan,  the  sun  above  the  horizon,  i.e.,  the  morning  ; 
O  Kh6,  from  its  shape,  the  mouth ;  ~y  Tin,  something 
in  the  mouth,  i.e.,  sweet;  _L  Teng,  a  dot  above  the 
line,  therefore  above;  T  Ha,  a  dot  below  the  line, 
hence    below;     A    Hap,    the    triangle,    therefore 
union ;  "tj/  Tiong,  the  center ;  »->  Bek,  a  lid ;  there 
are   107  of  these,   in  which  there  is  but  little  of 
outline. 

(3)  The  third  class,  composed  of  740  characters, 
is  called  "  Combined  Ideas."   Among  these  are  found 
Bun  fa  a  door;  fjfr  Han,  a  tree  in  a  door,  hence  cho'- 
chi,  to  obstruct ;  ]$  Lim,  two  trees,  hence  a  forest : 
^  Cho,  two  men  seated  on  the  ground,  therefore  to 
sit;  O  Bun,  mouth  in  doorway,  hence  to  ask;  51 
Chhe,  broom  and  woman,  hence  a  wife;  ®])  Beng, 
sun  and  moon,  hence,   bright,   illustrious;   H    Su, 
pencil  and  word,  hence  a  book,  or  a  scholar:   Q 
Soan,  a  door  with  a  stick  in  it,  hence  to  bolt ;  1[ 
Hong,  self  and  ruler,  hence  the  emperor;  %  A"' 
woman  under  a  cover,  hence  peace ;  gf  Siu,  a  man 
in  a  box,  hence  imprisoned ;  ^  ke,  pig  under  a  cover; 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR          193 

word  for  family;  £,  Jin,  two  men  agreed,  hence 
harmony  benevolence;  |£  Ok,  evil  and  heart,  hence 
envy,  hatred ;  %*  Lo,  slave  and  heart,  hence  madness, 
anger. 

(4)  A  fourth  class  is  called  "Inverted  Signifi- 
cance." There  are  372  of  them.  Two  examples 
will  suffice:  />Tso,  right;  ^,  lu,  left. 

(5J  A  fifth  class,  composed  of  598  characters, 
is  called  "Metaphoric  Symbols,"  in  which  "the 
meaning  is  deduced  by  a  somewhat  fanciful 
accommodation."  For  example  *£?  Ju,  a  child  or 
son,  and  a  cover,  meaning  a  written  character,  an 
ideograph.  The  accommodation  in  this  instance 
is  this :  as  a  child  is  nurtured  under  a  shelter,  so  is 
the  written  character  considered  to  be  "well 
nurtured  offspring  of  hieroglyphics."  So  with  (£> 
sim  Once  this  character  was  employed  alone  to 
represent  the  material  heart,  but  now  it  is  used 
more  generally  in  a  metaphorical  sense  to  represent 
the  mind.  In  this  .way,  too,  ^  Tong,  meaning  a 
hall,  or  the  central  living  room  of  a  Chinese  house, 
is  used  in  a  polite  phrase  to  indicate  "mother"  i.e., 
lengtong,  "because  she  constantly  abides  there." 

(6)  The  sixth  class  called  "Symbols  Combin- 
ing Sound."  The  number  of  this  class  exceed  all 
the  others  together.  There  are  probably  more  than 
22,000.  They  are  formed  by  "the  union  of  symbols 
expressing  idea  and  sound."  This  is  not  easy  to 
explain.  It  means  that  these  characters  are  formed 
by  combining  a  symbol  which  gives  the  idea  with 


194  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

another  symbol  which  supplies  the  name.  Therefore 
one  furnishes  the  idea,  the  other  the  sound.  For 
example  $p  Ho,  is  formed  by  the  combination  of  the 
idea  KS  water,  and  the  sound  ^  ko,  forming  the 
character  Ho  a  river.  So  with  $&  Go,  formed  by 
the  combination  of  the  idea  J^  niau,  a  bird  and  the 
sound  Go,  forming  the  character  Go,  i.e.,  the  "G6"- 
bird,  that  is  the  goose.  To  further  illustrate  we 
might  take  one  of  our  own  words,  /.<?.,  the  Jay.  The 
symbol  representing  the  sound  would  be  the  letter 
J,  while  the  symbol  representing  the  idea  would  be 
"bird,"  hence  the  J-bird.  If  perchance,  these  names 
were  given  in  a  place  where  the  names  Go-bird  or 
Jay-bird  were  riot  understood;  or  perhaps  in  a 
place  where  these  birds  were  called  by  some  other 
names  or  sounds,  yet,  these  characters  would  always 
mean  to  them  the  goose  and  the  Jay,  and  nothing 
else,  for  they  would  have  so  learned  them. 

So  it  will  be  observed  that  recourse  to  forming 
the  written  language  on  a  picture  basis  must  have 
soon  been  abandoned,  for  there  were  not  enough  to 
supply  the  demand.  Thus  these  other  ingenious 
methods. 

The  Chinese  also  have  six  different  styles  of 
writing  their  characters,  viz  : 

Seal  jgj ;  Official  fr ;  Pattern  % ;  Running  H" ; 
Plant  f  ;  Book  If. 

To  illustrate  how  the  style  of  writing  the 
characters  in  the  early  day  has  changed  in  the 
present,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  show  how  the 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR 


195 


characters  already  given  were  written  at  first  and 
how  they  are  written  now. 


sun 

moon 

son 

eye 

horse 

moun- 
tain 

fish 

eve'g 

morn'g 

mout 

Old 

0 

> 

3> 

0 

fro 

C3 

3C= 

^ 

0. 

v—/ 

New 

0 

3 

? 

a 

# 

III 

^a 

^ 

-S 

n 

sweet 

above 

be- 
low 

union 

center 

door 

ob- 
struct 

forest 

to  sit 

to  ask 

Old 

¥ 

• 

• 

A 

¥ 

R 

m 

HSK 

^5 

a 

New 

* 

±|T 

^ 

* 

ra 

ei 

JpfC 

« 

w 

bright 

bolt 

em- 
peror 

river 

heart 

char- 
acter 

right 

left 

Old 

0| 

a 

W 

&f 

0 

£ 

> 

^ 

New 

w 

R 

41 

W 

>fr 

^ 

* 

£ 

/^  remains  to  consider  how  the  per- 
manency of  the  written  language  has  been  main- 
tained, and  why  the  spoken  language  has  undergone 
so  many  changes. 

The  written  language  of  China  may  properly 
be  called  the  "main  body"  or  "stock,"  tho  as  a 
matter  of  chronological  order  it  follows  the  spoken 
probably  by  centuries.  As  we  noticed  in  the  outset, 
it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  standard  of  the 
written  language  has  not  changed  during  these 
thirty  odd  centuries.  Many  other  languages  have 
changed  during  these  long  ages.  For  example  the 
Greek,  Latin.  Persian,  and  our  own.  But  the  Chinese 
written  language  has  remained  permanent,  fixed  as 


196  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

the  rocks  in  the  earth.  The  spoken  language,  broken 
up  into  many  vernaculars,  for  example,  Canton, 
Amoy,  Peking,  Shanghai,  etc.,  etc.,  and  again  into 
more  than  a  hundred  dialects,  may  be  called  the 
"limbs"  or  "branches"  of  the  "Stock."  It  has 
undergone  as  many  changes  as  there  have  been 
changes  in  dynasties,  forms  of  government,  and 
divisions  of  territory. 

(i)  The  chief  cause  for  the  permanency 
has  been  the  ultra-conservatism  of  the  Chinese 
mind  on  all  matters.  What  was  good  enough 
for  their  fathers  was  good  enough  for  the 
children  for  all  time,  whether  it  was  a  plow 
made  out  of  two  old  crooked  sticks,  or  a  thought 
cut  in  a  fantastic  symbol.  But  more  than  this 
it  has  been  due  to  the  educational  system  of  the 
Chinese.  All  who  aspired  to  office,  or  to  any  literary 
fame,  and  that  is  the  ambition  of  every  Celestial, 
confined  themselves  to,  and  familiarized  themselves 
with  the  ancient  classics.  They  have  sought  most 
strenuously  to  write  the  words  of  the  sages 
precisely  as  the  sages  of  centuries  before  wrote 
them.  The  same  style,  the  same  thoughts,  the 
same  line  of  thought,'  the  very  same  characters, 
and  the  same  order  in  which  the  illustrious  writers 
placed  them,  have  been  most  sacredly  preserved 
throughout  their  every  literary  production.  That 
any  one  would  dare  to  presume  to  improve  on  the 
style  or  composition,  or  add  any  new  thought  worth 
considering,  is  too  preposterous  to  be  even  imagined. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR          197 

So  the  old  deep  rut  has  been  followed,  and  cut 
ever  deeper  throughout  the  ages  by  the  tramping 
hosts,  until  every  thought  has  become  irrevocably 
stereotyped.  Thus  they  have  striven  not  only  to 
repeat  the  same  wise  sayings  of  the  ancients,  but 
to  write  them  in  the  very  same  identical  way  the 
ancients  wrote  them — entirely  divorced  from  any 
independent  thought  or  expression :  this  has  been 
the  height  of  their  ambition.  It  will  be  understood 
therefore,  how  all  this  has  insured  the  permanency 
of  the  written  language,  and  how  impossible  it  has 
been  to  change  it  so  long  as  such  ideas  prevailed. 
But  a  change  has  come,  and  we  will  see  more  and 
more  of  it. 

(2)  The  history  of  the  spoken  language  has 
been  directly  opposite  to  all  this.  Here  we  find  no 
effort  to  preserve  similarity,  but  eager  desire,  it 
would  seem,  to  say  things  in  an  entirely  different 
way  from  everybody  else  outside  of  a  particular 
district,  or  section  of  country.  The  chief  cause  of 
this  variation  in  speech  was  undoubtedly  due  to 
feudalism  which  once  invested  the  whole  empire. 
At  one  time  there  were  as  many  as  125  different 
feudal  states,  and  each  one  the  bitter  enemy  of 
the  other.  They  were  hostile,  and  without  the 
slightest  interest  in  each  other's  welfare.  Con- 
sequently there  was  no  common  bond.  Naturally, 
therefore,  there  was  no  intercourse  between  them, 
save  in  the  matter  of  constant  feuds  and  battles. 
Hence  there  was  no  need  of  a  common  speech. 


198  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

What  field  could  have  been  found  more  fertile  for 
a  confusion  of  tongues  than  that  we  find  under  the 
conditions  in  which  China  existed  a  thousand  or 
more  years  ago?  While  this  diversity  of  speech 
was  very  pronounced  in  the  case  of  neighboring 
states,  it  became  still  more  pronounced  the  further 
the  states  were  separated.  One  born  in  a  certain 
district,  lived  there,  wrought  there,  thought  there, 
and  likely  died  there.  What  cared  he  how  others, 
far  or  near,  lived,  wrought,  or  spoke.  No  common 
interests  were  at  stake;  every  man  was  for  himself 
in  his  own  small  circle  of  life's  struggles  and  battles. 
So  why  trouble  about  a  common  speech. 

Of  course  the  days  of  feudalism  in  China  have 
long  ago  passed  away,  but  what  became  intensified 
and  fixed  in  those  days  has  remained  fixed  until 
the  present  day  in  the  eighteen  provinces,  in  Man- 
churia, and  in  Mongolia. 

(3)  Another  reason  for  this  diversity,  and  a 
sufficient  one  in  itself,  if  there  were  no  other,  is 
the  fact  that  the  Chinese  language  has  no  alphabet, 
thereby  providing  no  means  to  determine  sounds  of 
words.  This  one  fact,  too,  has  probably  done 
more  to  preserve  this  diversity  than  any  other. 

As  we  have  already  noticed  the  diversity 
increases  with  the  distance.  For  example,  in  Amoy 
city  and  among  the  villages  on  the  islands  of  Amoy, 
two  miles  away,  the  .diversity  is  slight,  and  only  in 
a  very  few  words.  But  there  is  a  difference, 
which  is  sufficient  for  an  Amoy  city  man  to 


THE  FIRST  PROTESTANT  CHURCHJHZIUC-H*  CHINA,  AM.  REFD. 
CHURCH  MISSION,  FOR  CHINESE  REUGIOUS  SERVICES.     1848. 


THE  AMOY  VERNACULAR          199 

recognize  one  from  these  villages.  His  speech 
betrays  him.  Go  away  to  Sio-khe  or  Chuan-chow 
some  sixty  miles  south,  or  north,  and  a  more 
pronounced  dissimilarity  will  be  noted.  Words 
will  be  heard  that  are  never  heard  in  Amoy.  Go 
north,  south  or  west  one  hundred  miles  and  you 
will  imagine  you  are  in  another  country,  so  far  as 
your  power  to  be  understood  or  to  understand  goes. 
This  is  true  not  only  of  the  foreigner;  it  is  equally 
true  of  the  native  Chinese. 

Why  spend  time,  it  may  be  asked,  in  acquiring 
a  language  that  is  so  complex,  so  difficult,  and  that 
promises  so  little  reward  in  itself?  Let  me  reply 
at  once,  that  it  is  not  so  much  for  what  we  can  get 
out  of  it,  as  it  is  for  what  we  can  put  into  it. 

(i)  A  knowledge  of  this  language  is  a  pass- 
port to  the  home  and  to  the  heart  of  the  Chinese 
people.  If  there  is  any  one  thing  that  opens  up  the 
way,  the  very  access  to  their  good  will  and  confi- 
dence, it  is  this  knowledge.  You  go  out  into  the 
streets  of  her  great  cities,  or  into  the  country 
among  the  villages,  and  the  first  greeting  on  your 
approach  will  be  an  unfriendly  one,  punctuated 
with  shouts  of  derision  in  these  words:  "Hoan-a! 
Hoan-d !  A  most  disrespectful  term,  meaning  "  bar- 
barian." Sometimes,  to  make  it  still  more  emphatic 
they  will  shout  at  you:  "Hoan-a  kdi  "  or  "Hoan-a 
kau,"  meaning  "foreign  devil"  or  "foreign  dog." 
But  just  be  able  to  say  a  few  words  in  their 
language  and  that  will  cease,  at  least  to  a  great 


200  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

extent.  Then  you  will  hear  them  say:  "Oh  he 
can  speak  our  words,"  or  "  He  can  speak  our  words 
from  beginning  to  end."  You  are  at  once  placed 
on  a  different  footing.  You  are  not  so  much  of  a 
foreigner  then  as  you  were.  Here  then  is  the  first 
step  to  any  mutual  understanding,  a  closer  relation- 
ship, and  a  friendly  intercourse.  At  the  same  time 
it  affords  the  best  opportunity  to  remove  many  of 
their  intense  prejudices,  and  inborn  contempt. 

(2)  It  provides  a  channel  for  the  philosopher 
and  the  scholar  to  enrich  their  literature   from  that 
store  of  knowledge,  science,  and  art,  in  their  posses- 
sion, by  which  these  vast  numbers  of  the  human 
race  shall  be  benefited  and  elevated,  and  truly  civilized. 

(3)  But  far  above  all  this  it  affords  the  only 
way  of  teaching  them  that  there  is  only  one  true 
God,  their  relation  to  Him,  and  their  obligation  to 
obey  and  serve  Him.     And  then  last  and  highest 
incentive  of  all,  it  enables  us  to  convey  the  best 
news   that  ever  came  to   this  world,  the  message 
of   salvation   through  Jesus    the    Son   of    God    to 
400,000,000  people,  the  message  already  placed  be- 
fore you  in  the  Chinese  language:    "God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  beiieveth  on  him  shall  never  perish  but 
have  everlasting  life."     May  that  day  be  hastened 
when  the  heralds  of  the  cross  shall  have  brought 
that  message  to    every  son  and    daughter  in   the 
great  Celestial  Empire. 


CHAPTER   XL 
AMOY  ROMANIZATION 

Not  the  least,  perhaps  the  most,  conspicuous 
event  (who  shall  say?)  of  all  the  sixty  years  of 
mission  work  in  Amoy,  China,  was  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Amoy  Romanized  Colloquial  some  sixty 
odd  years  ago.  It  was  nothing  less  than  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  lang^lage,  or  to  be  more  precise,  the 
transformation  of  an  ideographic  language  into 
one  composed  of  Roman  letters.  It  marked  a 
revolution  in  the  mode  of  conveying  thought 
through  the  Chinese  vernacular;  and  it  opened  a 
channel  for  acquiring  information  to  hundreds  and 
thousands,  if  not  millions  in  the  days  to  come,  wrho 
otherwise  would  have  been  debarred  from  gaining 
knowledge  in  China. 

The  work  of  preparing  the  Amoy  Romaniza- 
tion  began  very  early  in  this  part  of  China.  In 
1850  it  was  being  taught  in  a  school  here,  but 
even  before  this  date  we  learn,  from  a  letter,  that 
initiatory  steps  must  have  been  taken  towrards  its 
formation  by  choosing  seventeen  of  the  Roman 
letters  for  an  alphabet.  By  aspirating  four  of  them, 
viz.,  ch  (chh),  k  (kh),  p  (ph),  and  t  (th)  ;  and  by 
combining  two  others,  viz.,  n  and  g  (ng) ;  and  by 
placing  a  dot  by  another,  viz.,  o  (o-),  a  total  number 
of  twenty-three  letters  was  completed;  a,  b,  ch, 
chh,  e,  g,  h,  i,  j,  k,  kh,  1,  m,  n,  ng,  o,  op,  p,  ph,  s. 


202  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

t,  th,  u.  With  these  letters  the  possibility  of 
indicating  every  sound  used  in  the  Amoy  verna- 
cular— a  language,  with  its  four  subordinate  dialects, 
that  is  spoken  by  eight  or  ten  millions  of  people 
living  in  the  Amoy  district  and  in  Formosa — was 
attained,  and  the  history  of  the  Amoy  Romanized 
colloquial  was  begun. 

The  question  of  initials  and  finals  as  such,  or 
the  distinction  between  the  upper  and  lower  series 
of  either  of  them,  never  seems  to  have  made 
marked  impression  on  the  makers  of  this  new  sys- 
tem of  writing.  Its  importance  at  least  never 
seems  to  have  been  thought  vital.  While  all  this 
may  seem  unphilosophical  to  some,  in  its  defense  it 
may  be  said,  that  utility  was  held  to  be  of  greater 
importance,  and  hence  took  first  place. 

The  Romanization,  so  far  as  can  be  gathered 
was  sought  without  any  attempt  at  scientific  divi- 
sions. Perhaps  it  may  also  be  said  of  it,  that  this 
very  simplicity  may  go  a  good  way  in  accounting  for 
its  permanency  and  success  during  more  than 
half  a  century  of  existence.  Surely  no  good  reason 
has  arisen  to  change  the  system  during  all  these 
years.  Nothing  better  has  ever  been  suggested  to 
take  its  place.  It  may  be  somewhat  "peppered," 
as  has  been  observed,  but  it  is  well  salted,  too.  Its 
utility  is  beyond  question.  One  remarkable  feature 
that  demonstrates  this  more  than  anything  else,  is 
the  fact  that  the  Amoy  Romanized  is  easily  com- 
prehended by  all  alike  among  all  the  dialects  of  this 


TALMAGE  MEMORIAL. 


HOPE   AND   WlLHELMINA    HOSPITALS. 


AMOY  ROMANIZATION  203 

district.  The  strange  thing  is  that  each  person  will 
read  it  in  his  or  her  own  dialect,  though  it  be 
written  in  the  Amoy  dialect;  that  is,  of  course, 
after  the  system  is  understood.  To  be  sure,  in 
most  instances  the  changes  are  slight.  Still,  be 
they  slight  or  otherwise,  their  own  dialect  is  always 
used.  For  instance,  take  the  common  word  oe  (can, 
able)  as  it  appears  in  the  Amoy  dialect.  A  person 
living  at  Sio-khe,  sixty  miles  southwest  from  here, 
will  invariably  read  it  simply  e  with  the  o  omitted. 
So  with  Sibng-te  (God),  that  will  be  read  elsewhere 
Siang-tt;  thi^-kng  (dawn)  will  be  read  thi^-kui*; 
ko&g  (to  speak)  will  be  read  sek.  In  the  latter 
instance  the  change  is  complete,  an  entirely  different 
word  being  used.  There  are  many  more  just  such 
cases,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  mention  them,  for 
what  has  already  been  given  will  be  sufficient  to 
make  my  meaning  clear.  There  is  nothing  that 
could  better  demonstrate  the  fact  that  the  people 
grasp  it,  and  so  its  usefulness  is  placed  beyond  a 
doubt. 

By  all  this  praise  of  the  Amoy  system,  the 
idea  is  not  intended  to  be  conveyed  that  it  is  the 
par  excellence  over  all  other  systems,  nor  that  it 
necessarily  would  be  as  useful  elsewhere  as  some 
other  and  more  scientific  system.  The  idea  is 
simply  to  point  out  its  adaptability,  versatility,  and 
success,  in  Amoy. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  date  (1850)  given 
above,  that  the  Amoy  system  antedates  the  Ningpo 


204  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Romanization  by  a  year  or  more.  It  must,  therefore, 
be  given  the  place  of  honor  in  the  use  of  Roman 
letters  to  represent  the  sounds  of  Chinese  words  in 
this  empire.  That  it  is  the  oldest  of  them  all  can 
hardly  be  doubted. 

In  presenting  some  idea  of  the  orthography 
and  pronunciation  of  the  Amoy  Romanization, 
perhaps  there  is  no  better  way  than  to  condense 
what  Dr.  Carstairs  Douglas  has  very  fully  placed 
before  us  in  the  introduction  to  his  inestimable 
Dictionary  of  the  Vernacular  or  Spoken  Language 
of  Amoy. 

VOWELS  : — a,  e,  i,  o,  u.  They  have  nearly  the 
same  sounds  as  in  German. 

a  as  in  far. 

e  as  in  grey. 

i  as  ee  in  seen. 

o  when  final,  and  when  followed  by  h,  as 

in  go.     When  initial  and  followed  by  m, 

ng,  p,  or  k,  as  in  hop,  sock. 

u  as  in  put,  rude. 

o*  as  aw  in  law.     The  sound  is  nearly  the 

same  as  the  second  sound  of  o. 

DIPHTHONGS. — ai,  au,  oe,  oa,  in. 
ai  as  ie  in  tie. 
au  as  ow  in  now. 
oe  very  nearly  as  oe  in  Noel. 
oa  has  a  sound  similar  to  wa. 
in  as  ew  in  ewe. 


AMOY  ROMANIZATION  205 

In  ai,  au,  oe,  the  first  vowel  is  accented,  the 
second  not.  On  the  other  hand,  in  oa  the  first 
vowel  is  not  accented  while  the  second  is.  The 
sound  of  w  in  such  words  is  very  easily  distin- 
guished in  the  " upper  third  "  and  the  "upper  and 
lower  fourth"  tones,  e.g.,  hba,  hoah,  and  Iwah. 
But  when  the  o  is  long  the  o  sound  is  distinctly 
heard  as  in  oan,  i.e.,  in  the  "upper  and  lower  first" 
tones.  Great  care  needs  to  be  exercised,  however, 
never  to  exaggerate  the  sound  of  o;  always  bearing 
in  mind  that  a  is  the  principal  vowel  and  the  one 
to  be  accented.  In  m,  or  in  diphthongs  beginning 
with  i,  the  accent,  with  rare  exception,  falls  on  the 
last  vowel,  e.g.,  ia,  iau,  and  io,  but  in  iu  the  accent 
is  about  equally  distributed  on  both. 

NASALS. — The  letter  «,  raised  a  little  above 
the  right  of  a  word,  indicates  that  it  is  nasal,  e.g., 
tian  htan,  etc.  There  are  words  which  are  recogniz- 
ed as  nasal  already  without  this  mark;  therefore 
it  is  the  custom  to  omit  the  «  from  all  words 
beginning  with  in,  n,  and  ng.  There  is  no  arbi- 
trary rule  about  this,  however ;  each  being  guided 
by  his  own  opinion  in  the  matter. 

CONSONANTS. — ch,  g,  h,  j,  k,  1,  m,  n,  p,  s,  t. 

ch  as  in  church.    Sometimes  written  ts. 

g  is  always  hard. 

h  is  never  silent. 

j   is  irregular,    but    usually   as    in  judge. 

Its  sound  sometimes  approaches  z.     It  is 

often   interchanged   with  1,  e.g.,  loa-choe 

for  joa-choe,  etc. 


ao6  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

1  as  in  lea.     Its  sound  is  often  like  d. 

k  as  in  keep. 

m  as  in  man.     Sometimes  it  is  a  word  by 

itself  formed  by  compressing  the  lips  close 

together  and  then  endeavoring  to  say  m, 

as  in  man,  n  as  in  English. 

ng  as  in  sung.     This  also  is  a  word  by 

itself. 

p,  t  and  s  as  in  English. 

Final  consonants  always  end  without  the 
slightest  emission  of  the  breath.  Hence,  at  the 
end  of  the  word  sam  the  lips  are  still  shut  and  it  is, 
therefore,  in  every  sense  final.  The  same  is  even  so 
with  words  ending  in  k,  p,  t.  Properly  pronounced 
(i.e.,  very  gently)  there  is  some  difficulty  in  dis- 
tinguishing one  from  the  other. 

ASPIRATES. — h  has  always  been  used  to  indicate 
as  aspirated  word,  and  never  anything  else  in  the 
Amoy  Romanization.  There  are  four  aspirated 
consonants  viz.,  chh,  kh,  ph,  and  th. 

TONES. — There  are  four  principal  classes,  each 
being  again  divided  in  the  upper  and  lower  series. ; 
upper  and  lower  first,  viz.,  ist  and  5th;  upper  and 
lower  second,  viz.,  2nd  and  6th ;  upper  and  lower 
third,  viz.,  3rd  and  7th ;  upper  and  lower  fourth,  viz., 
4th  and  8th.  There  are  therefore  eight  tones  to  be 
accounted  for.  Since,  however,  the  upper  and 
lower  second,  viz.  the  2nd  and  6th  are  alike,  there 
are  really  only  seven.  Therefore,  we  have  in  the 
upper  series:  ist,  2nd,  3rd  and  4th;  in  the  lower 


AMOY  ROMANIZATION  207 

series ;  5th,  7th  and  8th.  These  tones  need  to  be 
learned  from  a  teacher,  but  the  2nd,  3rd,  5th,  7th 
and  8th  are  indicated  by  a  line  of  inflection  placed 
at  the  top  of  the  vowel  of  a  word.  The  ist  has  no 
line,  while  the  4th  tone  is  always  recognized  by  the 
ending  h,  k,  p,  or  t.  So  far  as  the  ending  is  con- 
cerned this  is  also  true  of  the  8th,  but  that  has  the 
line  as  stated  above.  Hence,  we  have :  to,  to.  to,  toh, 
to,  to  toh. 

The  matter  of  tones  in  combination,  accent, 
and  the  use  of  the  hyphen,  I  will  not  enter  upon ; 
nor  is  there  need  to  do  so,  as  these  have  more  to  do 
with  the  teacher  arid  personal  use  than  can  be 
explained  in  an  article  of  this  nature. 

The  chief  promoter  of  this  new  scheme  of 
writing  Chinese  was,  perhaps  more  than  any  other, 
the  Rev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage,  D.D.  He  was,  how- 
ever, heartily  supported  by  all  his  colleagues  work- 
ing in  the  three  Missions,  viz.,  his  own,  the  Ameri- 
can Reformed  Missions,  the  English  Presbyterian, 
and  the  London  Missionary  Society.  Dr.  Jas. 
Young,  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Mission,  and 
Rev.  E.  Doty,  of  the  American  Reformed,  showed 
their  enthusiasm  by  teaching  it  at  that  time  (1850) 
by  blackboard  exercises  in  a  mission  school  over  in 
Amoy.  Dr.  Talmage  also  taught  a  class  four  even- 
ings each  week.  There  were  no  primers  or  printed 
books  at  that  time.  The  first  production  to  appear 
on  printed  page  was  a  translation  of  a  portion  of 
Genesis — particularly  the  history  of  Joseph — by 


208  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Dr.  Young.  This  was  printed  in  Canton.  Of 
course  all  printing,  at  the  first,  of  Romanized 
colloquial  was  done  from  type  cut  on  wooden  blocks. 
It  was  not -until  186401*  1865  tnat  moveable  type 
and  a  press  were  introduced.  The  Rev.  Howard 
VansDoren,  of  the  American  Reformed  Mission, 
superintended  this  first  press  sent  out  to  Amoy. 

The  main  object  and  purpose  that  the  mission- 
aries had  in  mind  in  thus  forming  this  new  method 
of  writing  Chinese  was  to  open  up  a  better  way  for 
the  native  Christians  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
Word  of  God  and  to  bring  them  in  touch  with 
religious  and  wholesome  literature.  It  will  be  well 
to  keep  this  thought  ever  in  mind. 

In  a  letter  of  Dr.  Talmage,  dated  December 
i /th,  1850,  this  motive  is  touched  upon.  He 
writes:  "The  question  whether  there  is  any  way 
by  which  this  people  can  be  made  a  reading  people, 
especially  by  which  the  Christians  may  be  put  in 
possession  of  the  Word  of  God  and  be  able  to  read 
it  intelligently  for  themselves,  has  occupied  much 

thought  of  the  missionaries  here Some  of  us 

are  now  trying  the  experiment,  whether  by  means  of 
the  Roman  alphabet  the  Sacred  Scriptures  and  other 
religious  books  may  not  be  given  to  the  Christians 
and  to  any  others  who  cannot  read,  but  who  take 
enough  interest  in  Christianity  to  desire  to  read  the 
Scriptures  for  themselves. 

The  introduction  and  use  of  Romanization  in 
this  district  has  not  been  without  opposition.  All 


I 


DRUM  WAVE  ROCK 


AMOY  ROMANIZATION  209 

innovations  of  this  kind  are  bound  to  meet  with 
objection  in  this  country,  distinguished  for  its 
conservatism,  yet  steady  progress  has  been  seen. 
Among  those  who  wish  to  be  classed  as 
literary  it  has,  to  be  sure,  never  found  a  warm 
reception.  To  them  it  is  poor  style.  To  devote 
any  time  to  it  is  a  waste  of  energy  over  childish 
things.  To  those  who  have  no  claim  to  being- 
literary  in  any  sense  whatever,  it  has  not  always 
appealed  as  one  might  have  expected  it  would. 
Rather  than  be  seen  reading  it,  or  learning  to  read 
it,  they  prefer  to  remain  ignorant,  and  so  give 
it  a  wide  berth.  It  is  not  the  first  time,  however, 
that  a  people  have  failed  to  appreciate  their  privi- 
leges and  opportunities  and  neglected  them.  So  we 
must  not  be  overmuch  surprised  because  of  this. 

But  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  great  or  small, 
the  Romanized  has  forged  ahead.  It  is  taught  in 
all  our  primary  schools,  in  the  churches  and  chapels 
on  Sundays,  and  in  the  homes  on  week-days.  It  is 
difficult  to  estimate  accurately  the  number  of  readers 
of  this  Amoy  Romanization.  Probably  a  safe 
estimate  would  be  between  five  and  six  thousand. 
But  numbers  in  this  matter,  as  well  as  in  other 
affairs  connected  with  our  work,  are  not  alone  to  be 
counted  in  the  sum  total  of  success.  We  may 
rightly  think  of  the  light  and  knowledge  it  has 
brought  to  hundreds  of  homes  in  this  district  that 
never  would  have  had  either  without  it.  It  has  not 
only  made  it  possible  for  old  men  and  old  women 


210  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

and  young  children  to  read  and  write,  but  it  has 
done  more  for  the  spiritual  enlightenment  of  this 
people  in  this  half  century  than  centuries  of  the 
old  method  could  have  accomplished,  at  least  among 
that  class  of  people  for  whom  it  was  primarily 
intended.  And  not  alone  over  this  fact  may  we 
rejoice,  not  aione  over  what  has  been  accomplished, 
but  over  its  future  possibilities  among  all  classes, 
and  principally  among  those  who  have  few  educa- 
tional advantages — and  they  are  legion. 

The  Lords'  Prayer  in  Amoy  Romanized  Col- 
loquial is  as  follows : 

Goan  6  Pe  toa  ti  thin-nih,  goan  li  e  mia  tsoe 
seng ;  li  e  kok  lim-kau,  li  e  chi-i  ti6h  chian  ti  toe-nih 
chhin-chhiu0  ti  thin-nih ;  so  ti6h-eng  e  bi-niu  kin-a-jit 
ho-  goan :  godn  sia-bian  tek-tsoe  goan  e  ling,  kiu 
sia-bian  goan  e  tsoe ;  b6h-tit  ho-  goan  tu-ti6h  chhi, 
tioh  kiu  goan  chhut  phain;  in-ui  kok,  koan-leng, 
eng-kng  long  sT  li-e  kau  tai-tai ;  sim  so-  goan. 

DICTIONARIES  AND  OTHER  HELPS.— There  are 
a  number  of  books  of  helps  to  foreigners  in  learning 
the  Amoy  Romanization.  First  and  foremost  is 
that  matchless  work,  the  dictionary  of  Dr.  Douglas, 
already  mentioned,  a  royal  octavo  volume  of  six 
hundred  pages,  double  columns,  closely  packed  with 
words  and  phrases  of  the  Amoy  vernacular  and 
their  English  meaning, — too  high  praise  cannot  be 
given  it.  There  is  "A  Manual  of  the  Amoy 
Colloquial "  and  an  English-Chinese  Dictionary, 
both  by  the  Rev.  J.  Macgowan.  Lessons  in  the 


AMOY  ROMANIZATION  211 

Amoy  Vernacular  by  Revs.  A.  L.  Warnshuis 
and  H.  P.  DePree.  These  are  all  very  helpful.  For 
foreigners  and  natives.  Dr.  Talmage's  Character- 
Romanized  Dictionary  stands  in  a  class  by  itself. 
It  is  a  book  of  nearly  four  hundred  pages,  and 
contains  about  seven  thousand  characters,  with 
their  classical  and  colloquial  sounds.  It  serves  the 
double  purpose  for  learning  the  colloquial  and  the 
character.  Then  there  are  various  primers  and 
other  useful  books  for  beginners  which  need  not 
be  mentioned. 

LITERATURE. — The  literature  in  the  Amoy 
Romanized  colloquial  has  grown  with  the  years. 
Among  the  very  large  number  of  books  that  have 
been  published  will  be  found  : 

Religious  Literature. — The  Holy  Scriptures 
complete,  Sacramental  Forms,  Milne's  Thirteen 
Village  Sermons,  The  Straight  Gate,  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  Spiritual  Songs,  Jessica's  First  Prayer, 
Robert  Annam,  Sacred  History,  Life  of  Paul 
Heidelberg  Catechism,  Shorter  Catechism,  The 
Psalter,  Golden  Bells,  How  Satan  Tempts.  The 
True  Doctrine,  The  Creed,  The  Ten  Command- 
ments, The  Two  Friends,  Daily  Manna,  Church 
History,  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Jesus  the  only 
Saviour,  Seekers  after  Righteousness,  Thanksgiving- 
Ann,  etc. 

General  Literature. — Child's  Story  Book,  the 
Training  of  Children,  A  Treatise  on  Idols  and 
Tablets,  Natural  History,  Great  Learning,  Doctrine 


212  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

of  the  Mean,  The  Trimetrical  Classic  from  a 
Christian  point  of  view,  Natural  History,  and  a 
large  variety  of  other  books,  opening  up  a  wide 
range  of  interesting  subjects. 

Text  Books. — Physiology,  Geography  com- 
plete, Chinese  History,  History  of  Ancient  Egypt, 
First  Lessons  in  Astronomy,  Arithmetic,  Algebra, 
Physical  Geography. 

The  above  lists  are  by  no  means  complete,  tho 
they  are  sufficient  to  illustrate  what  has  been 
accomplished. 

Periodical. — Worthy  of  special  mention  is  the 
Church  Messenger,  a  periodical  that  is  published 
once  a  month,  presenting  in  an  attractive  style  to  its 
readers  the  news  of  all  the  churches  of  the  three 
missions,  and  many  of  the  current  events  of  the  day. 
The  periodical  is  in  every  sense  undenominational 
and  well  supported  by  all,  but  its  management  is 
under  the  direction  of  one  missionary  chosen  for 
that  purpose.  The  paper  has  a  circulation  of  a 
thousand  copies  or  more. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER. 

Very  soon  after  the  opening  of  this  port  by  the 
Nankin  Convention  in  1842  English,  German,  and 
American  merchants  were  attracted  to  this  place. 
The  majority  of  them  enter  into  the  wholesale 
business  (at  present  all  are  wholesale  merchants) 
handling  all  kinds  of  goods,  from  a  picul  of  sugar 
to  a  ton  of  tea ;  from  a  bale  of  cotton  yarn  to  a  case 
of  woolens,  and  a  variety  of  other  goods.  At  the 
same  time  they  act  as  agents  for  banks,  steamship 
lines,  and  insurance  companies. 

Among  the  wholesale  firms  who  were  once 
established  here,  but  who  in  the  far  or  near  past 
have  retired,  we  may  mention  Bellamy  &  Co,  J. 
Foster  &  Co,  Giles  &  Co,  Dent  &  Co,  H.  D.  Brown 
&  Co,  Fearon  Low  &  Co,  Russell  &  Co,  Lapraik 
Cass  &  Co ;  and  the  retail  firms  N.  Moalle  &  Co; 
Wilson  &  Nichols,  F.  C.  Brown  &  Co,  and  Dakin 
Bros.  With  the  closing  out  of  the  stock  of  F.  C. 
Brown  &  Co,  and  the  changes  made  in  the  personnel 
of  the  firm  of  Thomsen  &  Co,  the  retail  (dry  goods 
groceries,  etc.)  business  passed  out  of  the  hands 
of  foreigners,  and  is  now  carried  on  entirely  by  the 
Chinese.  The  only  retail  business  controlled  by 


214  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

foreigners  at  present,  is  the  drug  business  of  A'.  S. 
.Watson  &  Co,  and  C.  Whitfield  &  Co. 

Several  of  the  present  day  wholesale  firms  have 
had  long  and  successful  business  careers.  The 
Amoy  Dock  Co,  Boyd  £  Co,  Pasadag  &  Co.  and 
Tait  &  Co,  have  been  located  here  for  over  fifty 
years,  having  established  themselves  soon  after 
1850. 

Jardine  Matheson  &  Co,  and  Butterfield  and 
Swire  maintained  agencies  here  for  years,  but  it  was 
not  until  1884  that  the  former,  and  1896  the  latter, 
had  their  own  representatives  at  this  port.  Jardine 
Matheson  &  Co  owned  considerable  property  on  the 
bund  in  the  early  Sixties  beside  that  now  in  their 
possession,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  discover 
much  of  its  history,  save  the  sale  of  a  part  of  it  to 
the  Maritime  Customs  in  1867.  Both  of  these 
firms  have  installed  disinfecting  plants  at  this 
port  (1909),  the  latter's  being  superintended 
by  the  United  States  Public  Health  and  Marine 
Hospital  surgeon  attached  to  the  Consulate.  Both 
plants  are  well  equipped  with  baths  and  dis- 
infecting apparatus.  By  this  means  it  has  been 
possible  to  carry  on  trade  without  much  interruption 
with  Manila  throughout  the  year,  as  all  passengers 
and  cargo  can  be  thoroughly  disinfected  and 
fumigated  here  before  departure. 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER     215 

Among  the  large  wholesale  firms  to  become 
established  here  in  recent  years  are : — The  Standard 
Oil  Co.  of  New  York  U.S.A.  (1904)  and  the  Asiatic 
Petroleum  Co.  (1907).  The  first  named  company 
has  a  fine  installation  plant  on  Seng-su  at  the 
terminus  of  the  Amoy  Chang-chow  railroad.  There 
are  three  tanks  having  a  combined  capacity  of 
2,000,000  gallons;  also  a  building  for  assembling- 
oil  cans,  and  godowns  (storehouses)  capable  of 
storing  100,000  cases  of  10  gallons  each.  The  oil  is 
imported  in  bulk  and  in  cases  both  from  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  seaboards. 

The  Asiatic  Petroleum  Co.'s  plant  is  located 
at  E-mng-kang  well  within  the  inner  harbor, 
and  is  well  constructed,  having  a  tank  capacity  of 
4,000  tons,  or  about  1,325,000  gallons.  Their 
godowns  can  store  50,000  cases  of  10  gallons  each. 
The  oil  is  imported  mostly  in  bulk  from  Borneo  and 
Sumatra. 

A  list  of  foreign  and  native  firms  will  be  found 
in  the  appendix. 

The  following  table  will  show  (i)  the  number 
of  firms,  foreign  and  native,  registered  at  the 
different  Consulates;  (2)  the  number  of  foreigners 
in  this  Consular  District;  and  (3)  the  number  of 
Chinese  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  different 
powers  represented  at  Amoy. 


2l6 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 


Nations 

No.  of  Regis- 
tered firms. 

No.  of 
Foreigners 

Registered* 
Chinese 
subjects. 

Total 

America 

4 

56 

72 

128 

Austria 

i 

i 

Belgium 

2 

2 

Great  Britain 

22 

I  SO 

181 

361 

Denmark 

6 

6 

Holland 

7 

5 

38 

43 

France 

20 

H 

25 

39 

Germany 

I 

26 

V      *> 

Japan 

248 

178 

1532 

1710 

Norway 

5 

5 

Portugal 

2 

4 

4 

Spain 

79 

30 

169 

199 

363 

507 

2017 

2524 

As  a  commercial  center  Amoy  has  always 
ranked  high,  and  up  to  the  year  1900  at  least  it  was 
fourth  in  importance  for  the  exportation  of  tea,— 
the  greater  part  being  brought  over  from  Formosa 
and  transhipped  here.  Since  the  occupation  of 
Formosa  by  the  Japanese  this  has  all  been  changed, 
as  the  tea  from  that  island  is  now  shipped  to  Japan 
and  then  to  other  countries.  Consequently  the  tea 
trade  in  every  way  is  about  finished  at  this  port. 

In  Amoy's  palmiest  days  it  was  no  uncommon 
occurrence  for  vessels  to  leave  with  1,000  tons  of 
tea  at  one  time  for  San  Francisco,  Vancouver,  or 
New  York.  Even  as  late  as  1905  Pacific  Mail 

*Hawaii.  Manila.  Straits  Settlement.    Borneo.  Sumatra.  Java. 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER    217 


steamers  took  700  or  800  tons  at  a  time.  In  the 
busy  season  Amoy  harbor  was  bristling  with 
business, — it  has  not  by  any  means  ceased  to  be  a 
busy  place, — as  many  as  fourteen  or  fifteen  steamers 
may  be  seen  at  one  time  loading  for  other  ports. 

During  the  year  1909  1,689  ships,  aggregating 
2,084,396  tons  unloaded  and  loaded  in  this  harbor. 
8,959  steam  launches,  aggregating  323,771  tons 
entered  and  cleared  for  inland  waters.  The  number 
of  foreign  passengers  amounted  to  2,289;  ar|d  native 
passengers  628,565.  41,963  of  the  latter  departed 
for  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  3,855  for  Manila. 

Postal  business.  The  Postal  business  is  ever  on 
the  increase.  In  1909  the  sale  of  stamps  amounted 
to  $191,206.  No.  of  articles  transmitted  3,745,515. 
During  1910-11  the  postal  business  increased  con- 
siderably,— amounting  in  some  months  to  $16,000 
Mex.  The  distance  covered  by  postal  lines  in  the 
district  aggregates  2,238  miles. 

The  following  brief  table  will  indicate  the  gross 
value  of  trade  at  this  port  during  the  past  several 
vears : — 


GROSS  VALUE  TRADE. 

REVENUE. 

1888 

*H.  K.  T. 

19,000,000 

Mex. 
$28,000,000 

*H.  K.  T. 

1,210,222 

Mex. 
$1,800,000 

1891 

18,000,000 

27,000,000 

992,OOO 

1,488,000 

1906 

20,000,000 

30,000,000 

870,000 

1,300,000 

1909 

22,000,000 

33,000,000 

863.00 

1.295,000 
1,203.000 

1910 

24,000,000 

36,000,000 

8O2,OOO 

*Customs'  Reports. 


2i8  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

That  Amoy,  notwithstanding  the  diversion  of 
the  Formosa  trade  to  Japan,  is  still  maintaining  its 
commercial  importance  may  be  learned  from  the 
Customs  Report  for  1909.  There  we  discover 
that  the  gross  value  of  trade  for  the  year  amounted 
to  nearly  22,000,000  Hai-koan  Taels,  being  one 
million  and  a  half  more  than  in  1908,  and  over  two 
millions  better  than  1907.  The  revenue  collected 
by  the  Maritime  Customs  amounted  to  862,814 
H-K-T.,  showing  an  advance  of  77,845  H-K-T. 
over  1908.  In  addition  to  this  the  Native  Customs 
collected  66,616  H-K-T. 

But  not  alone  from  this  source  have  we  this 
testimony  of  Amoy's  prosperity,  but  from  the 
managers  of  Banks  we  learn  of  the  same  increase 
in  business  affairs.  In  some  of  these  Banking 
Corporations  the  business  has  increased  enormously 
during  the  past  two  years. 

Exports  and  Re-Exports. 

The  total  export  trade  shows  some  advance  over 
preceding  years.  In  1900  it  amounted  to  over 
3,000,000  H-K-T*  including  re-exports.  This  was 
an  increase  over  preceding  years,  due  in  large 
measure  to  the  increased  amount  of  tobacco  leaf 
shipped  to  Formosa  and  elsewhere.  This  amounted 
to  39,000  piculs  (2,600  tons). 

Native  produce  re-exported  showed  an  increase 
in  value  of  over  500,000  H-K-T.,  compared  with 

*  H-K-T.  About  $1.50  Mex. 


A  SAMPAN   (Row  BOAT). 


AMOY  AvS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER    219 

1908.  The  exportation  of  local  produce  alone 
amounted  to  1,927,907  H-K-T.  an  increase  of 
125,000  H-K-T.  over  1908.  Among  these  articles 
were  137,000  piculs  of  beans,  744picuis  of  camphor, 
381, 700  bags,  4,200  piculs  of  hemp  skin,  14,700 
piculs  of  vermicelli  and  macaroni,  and  3,131,000 
brick.  4,596,000  pounds  of  paper,  made  from 
bamboo  pulp,  and  valued  at  695,000  H-K-T. 
were  exported.  14,310  piculs  (900  tons)  of  tea  were 
brought  over  from  Formosa  and  re-exported. 
But  the  great  export  from  this  port  is  labor. 
Many  thousands  go  abroad  every  year  to  Singapore, 
Java,  Borneo,  and  Manila,  where  fortunes  are 
accumulated,  and  from  whence  large  sums  are 
remitted  annually  to  this  port  all  of  which  form 
one  of  Amoy's  largest  assets,  as  we  have  already 
seen  in  a  previous  chapter. 

Imports. 

First  in  value  on  the  list  stands  opium.  From 
foreign  sources  this  amounted  to  2,666,989  H-K-T. 
( $4,000,000  Mex)  ;  from  native  sources  i.e,  imported 
from  Szechuan,  Yunnan,  Kiang-si,  it  amounted  to 
1,107,731,  H-K-T.  Large  quantities  of  foreign  and 
native  opium  were  purchased  by  the  Amoy  dealers 
and  held  in  warehouses  on  speculation,  some  losing 
heavily.  Prices  rose  enormously,  some  kinds  being 
quoted  at  $3,000  Mex.  per  picul. 

Next  in  value  were  beans  andbeancake  imported 
from  Manchuria. 


220  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  former  amounted  to  over  2,000,000 
H-K-T.,  and  the  latter  to  something  like  1,500,000 
H-K-T.,  altogether  1,545,000  piculs  were  imported. 

Amoy  never  produces  sufficient  rice  to  supply 
her  people,  so  there  were  imported  from  Saigon, 
Rangoon,  and  Shanghai  359,000  piculs,  valued  at 
2,000,000  H-K-T;  besides  this  84,000  piculs  of 
wheat  were  imported.  The  amount  of  kerosene  oil 
imported  fell  considerably  below  the  previous  year, 
because  of  the  stock  on  hand.  From  America  1,617,770 
gallons  were  brought  in;  from  Borneo  1,091,385 
gallons;  from  Sumatra  1,255,885  gallons.  Most  of 
this  oil  came  in  bulk,  the  remainder  in  cases. 
There  was  a  great  falling  off  in  the  amount  of  flour 
imported,  mostly  from  America.  In  1907  the  total 
imported  amounted  to  °$i, 000,000 gold;  in  1908  it 
dropped  to  *$6oo,ooo  gold :  and  in  1909  it  fell  to 
°$4OO.ooo  gold.  Since  the  Shanghai  manufactured 
product  has  found  its  way  into  this  market,  and  as 
it  can  be  sold  cheaper  than  the  foreign  manufac- 
tured article,  there  is  not  so  large  a  demand 
for  the  foreign.  145,000  piculs  (8,000  tons)  of 
native  flour  were  brought  into  this  port.  The  value 
of  cotton  goods  imported  amounted  to  1,684,662 
H-K-T;  metals  (hardware)  308,754  H-K-T.; 
woolen  goods  95,969  H-K-T.;  piece  goods  6,416 
H-K-T. ;  and  sundries  3,940,688  H-K-T.  Leather 
to  the  amount  of  $7,000  Mex.  was  imported,  show- 
ing the  increasing  demand  for  leather  shoes  which 
have  been  adopted  largely  by  the  student  class  and 
the  newly  organized  native  police. 

0  U.  S.  Consulate  Trade  Report. 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER    221 

The  gross  total  value  of  native  imports 
amounted  to  8,235,572  H-K-T.,  an  increase  of 
1,964,906  H-K-T.  over  1908.  These  goods  came 
chiefly  from  Newchwang,  Chei'oo,  and  Shanghai. 

Finance  and   Currency.    (1909) 

The  currency  question  in  Amoy  is  almost 
sufficient  to  turn  one's  hair  grey.  The  fluctuations 
in  the  price  of  silver,  the  rise  and  fall  in  exchange, 
is  a  matter  of  daily  calculation.  Sterling  exchange 
for  telegraphic  transfer  opened  in  January  at 
1/8/9/16  and  closed  in  December  at  1/9  9/16.  The 
highest  point  reached  was  1/9  9/16  in  December, 
and  the  lowest  point  touched  was  1/8  3/16  on  the 
26th  of  March. 

Coast  exchange  opened  in  January  at  13*  per 
mill,  and  closed  in  December  at  4  f  per  mill.  It 
reached  its  highest  point  on  April  26th  when  it 
was  29  per  mill,  and  its  lowest  point  in  October 
when  it  was  4  per  mill.  For  subsidary  coins  the 
exchange  ranged  from  6%  to  8%  discount. 

There  are  at  least  six  or  seven  different  kinds 
of  the  dollar  coin  in  circulation  at  this  port,  viz,  the 
Yen,  Mexican,  Hongkong,  French,  Straits,  and 
Hupeh  dollar  and  some  Manila  pesos.  But  these 
are  not  so  badly  mutilated  as  those  one  finds  in 
circulation  at  Foochow.  None  of  these  enumerated 
here  pass  for  the  standard  dollar  at  this  port.  The 

*  1.30  on  $100. 
1 40  cts.  on  100. 


222  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Spanish  dollar  remains  the  standard  tho  it  is  not  in 
circulation.  This  is  maintained  by  the  Hongkong 
and  Shanghai  Banking  Corporation  "as  the  unit  of 
currency,  on  the  basis  of  1000  Spanish  dollars 
being  equivalent  to  720  taels  of  silver/'  The  Yen 
and  Mexican  have  a  theoretical  value  of  1,000  of 
them  equalling  716.7  taels.  So  much  depends  upon 
supply  and  demand  that  their  values  become 
fluctuating  values  daily. 

The  Mexican  dollar  changed  for  1180  cash. 
One  cent  pieces  (copper)  are  circulated  extensively. 
22,270,000  pieces  were  imported  from  Foochow. 

1910. 

Such  are,  as  we  have  seen  above,  some  of 
the  encouraging  features  of  the  Trade  Report  of 
1909,  but  no  less  so  are  they  in  the  Report  of  1910. 
In  fact  the  latter  points  to  a  still  higher  rising  tide 
of  prosperity. 

The  total  gross  value  of  trade  in  1910 
amounted  to  23,884,785  H-K-T.,*  a  considerable 
advance  over  1909.  The  revenue  amounted  to 
801,973  H-K-T. 

Compared  with  1909  this  latter  sum  801,973 
H-K-T.  shows  a  considerable  falling  off.  So  we 
have  a  rather  curious  fact,  viz,  an  increase  in  the 
amount  of  trade,  but  a  decrease  in  the  amount  of 
revenue  collected.  It  is  explained  (i )  on  account  of 

*  H-K-T.  equals  $1.50  Mex.  or  0.75  gold. 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER     223 

the  increased  valuation  of  the  opium  imported. 
3,337  piculs  of  foreign  opium  imported  in  1910 
actually  cost  nearly  double  (5,292,000  H-K-T.) 
the  3,809  piculs  imported  in  1909  (2,666,000). 
There  was  also  an  increase  on  the  valuation  of 
native  opium  imported,  viz,  in  1910  971  piculs 
cost  1,343,356  H-K-T.,  while  in  1909  1,566  piculs 
cost  only  1,107,731.  As  the  duty  on  opium  is 
fixed,  say  no  H.K.T.  per  picul,  (since  the  new 
agreement  with  Great  Britain  the  tax  has  been 
raised,  May  8th  1911,  to  350  H.K.T.  per  picul.) 
without  respect  to  its  valuation,  this  enormous 
increase  in  rise  of  prices  in  nowise  affected  the 
revenue;  (2)  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  flour 
and  rice,  upon  which  no  duty  is  levied,  also  helped 
to  increase  the  amount  of  trade,  without  increasing 
the  amount  of  revenue.  There  may  have  been  other 
reasons,  but  this  will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  cause 
of  this  circumstance. 

The  total  Export  trade,  including  native  re- 
exports (575,298  H-K-T.)  amounted  to  3,815,879, 
another  increase  over  1909. 

Among  the  products  originally  exported  from 
Amoy  were,  38,279  f  piculs  of  paper  valued  at 
759,533  H-K-T;  26,968  piculs  of  tobacco  (about 
i, 800  tons)  valued  at  784,739  H-K-T;  14,448 
piculs  of  vermicelli,  valued  at  72,241  H-K-T.; 
2,014,260  brick  and  tile,  valued  at  23,897  H-K-T. ; 


t  One  picul  equals  133^  pounds. 


224  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

70,999  piculs  of  sugar  (over  4,700  tons)  valued 
at  553.221  H-K-T. ;  and  18.008  umbrellas  valued 
at  2,674  H-K-T. 

The  total  gross  import  trade  from  foreign 
and  native  ports  amounted  to  13,755,787  H-K-T. 
(Net  12,990,153  H-K-T.)  an  advance  of  3,000.000 
H-K-T.  and  more  over  the  previous  year,  tho 
the  importation  of  native  products  shows  a  con- 
siderable decrease. 

Among  the  goods  imported  the  following  may 
be  noted,  3,377  piculs  of  foreign  opium,  valued 
at  5,292,000  H-K-T.,  and  971  piculs  of  native 
opium,  valued  at  1,343,356;  540,302  piculs  of 
beans,  valued  at  1,237,257  H-K-T.;  631,538  piculs 
of  bean  cakes,  valued  at  1,325.564  H-K-T.; 
481,689  piculs  of  foreign  rice  and  108,500  piculs 
of  native  rice,  total  value  1,959,596  H-K-T.; 
1,222,670  gallons  of  American  oil,  1,238,500 
gallons  of  Borneo  oil,  785,860  gallons  of  Sumatra 
oil,  total  value  of  all  oil  imported  458,213  H-K-T.; 
126,632  piculs  of  native  flour,  valued  at  417,007 
H-K-T.  and  78,268  piculs  of  foreign  flour  valued 
at  275,271  H-K-T.;  hardware  to  the  value  of 
309,586;  woolen  goods  112,537  H-K-T. ;  cotton 
piece  goods  1,801,082  H-K-T.;  sundries  5,9/0,067 
H-K-T.,  and  leather  24,656  H-K-T. 

Currency  1910. 

Sterling  exchange  for  telegraphic  transfer 
opened  in  January  at  ilg/4  and  closed  in  December 


NATIVE  SAILING  VESSEL  (JUNK) 


A  NATIVE  AMBULANCE. 


FOREIGNER'S  HOUSE  BOAT.    "  GOSPEL  BOAT.' 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER     225 

at  1/9  15/16.  The  highest  point  reached  was  i/io 
3/4,  on  Oct.  26th  and  the  lowest  1/8  7/16  on 
March  2nd. 

The  history  of  the. Imperial  Customs  at  Amoy 
is  so  interesting  that  it  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  Its  establishment  dates  back  more  than  two 
centuries.  From  Commissioner  Bowra's  report  of 
1906  we  find  that  "it  was  founded  in  1685  upon  the 
recommendation  of  Shih  Lang  ('$£  j(}$)  the  suc- 
cessful Admiral  in  suppressing  Koxinga's  power." 
For  nearly  fifty  years  it  was  under  the  direction  of 
"the  secretary  of  the  provincial  board  of  revenue 
who  was  changed  yearly." 

In  1729  a  new  order  of  things  came  into  vogue 
when  the  Governor  of  the  province  was  made  the 
Director.  He  in  turn  was  superceded  in  1738  by 
the  Tartar  General.  Then  about  1860  the  great 
change  took  place  when  the  Maritime  Customs 
Service  at  all  the  treaty  ports  was  placed  under  the 
supervision  and  control  of  a  Europeanf  Inspector 
General,  Horatio  Nelson  Lay,  paid  by  the  Chinese 
government.  This  order  of  things  continues  till 
this  day,  while  "the  Tartar  General  is  represented 
in  Amoy  now  by  two  Manchu  deputies  of  military 
rank,  one  for  the  Foreign  and  one  for  the  Native 
Customs,  each  of  whom  holds  office  for  a  year." 


f  First  of  all  however  the  Collection  of  Customs  was 
entrusted  to  the  three  Foreign  Consular  bodies  represented 
at  Shanghai  in  1855,  viz:  England,  France  and  the  United 
States. 


226  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

In  1901  the  Native  Customs  came  under  the 
control  of  the  Foreign  Customs  (until  this  time 
separated),  and  just  to  show  how  matters  were 
conducted,  it  was  discovered  that  294  persons  were 
on  its  pay-roll,  a  great  majority  of  whom  were  little 
more  than  parasites,  drawing  pay  and  doing  little 
or  absolutely  nothing  in  the  way  of  work.  The 
number  has  now  been  reduced  to  about  thirty, 
while  thousands  of  dollars  find  their  way  to  the 
coffers  of  the  government  treasury  which  formerly 
found  their  way  to  some  bottomless  pit. 

The  first  Maritime  Customs  House  was  located 
farther  East  of  the  present  one,  in  or  near  Boyd 
and  Co's  hong,  but  the  old  building,  a  picture 
of  which  appears  on  the  opposite  page  was 
built  in  1873  on  land  purchased  (with  a  small 
building  thereon)  from  Jardine  Matheson  and  Co. 
in  1867.  The  old  building  which  accompanied 
the  sale  was  torn  down  and  the  structure  which 
stood  on  the  Bund  for  over  thirty  years  was 
erected. 

This  building  was  in  turn  removed  in  1908, 
giving  place  to  the  present  fine  three  story  structure, 
which  was  completed  and  opened  for  business  on 
July  26th,  1910.  The  Taotai  of  Amoy  was  present 
to  unlock  the  doors  and  in  a  fitting  speech  turn  the 
building  over  to  the  proper  authorities.  A  reception 
Committee,  composed  of  Mr.  J.  Mcncarini,  Acting 
Commissioner;  Mr.  J.  W.  Richardson,  Deputy 
Commissioner,  and  Mr.  A.  Nielsen,  Inspector  of 


AMOY  AS  A  COMMERCIAL  CENTER    227 

Lighthouses,  had  charge  of  the  opening  ceremonies, 
and  kindy  escorted  the  guests  over  the  building. 

There  were  present  a  great  number  of  Chinese 
officials,  foreign  Consuls,  heads  of  firms,  and  many 
of  the  foreign  community.  All  expressed  them- 
selves well  pleased  with  the  fine  proportions  of  the 
building,  the  large  airy  rooms,  and  the  adaptibility 
of  the  structure  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
constructed.  It  is  probably  the  finest  Customs 
House  along  the  coast  and  shows  off  well  on  the 
water  front  of  the  harbor.  Above  the  third  story 
there  has  been  placed  a  good  sized  clock,  which  can 
be  fairly  well  seen  from  vessels  lying  out  in  mid 
stream.  The  building  cost  more  than  $60,000  Mex. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AMOY  AS  A  CENTER  OF  MISSIONARY 
ENDEAVOR. 

The  port  of  Amoy,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
was  one  of  the  first  treaty  ports  opened  by  the 
Convention  of  Nankin,  August  29th,  1842,  but  as 
early  as  February  of  that  year  it  became  the  base 
of  the  present  extensive  and  successful  Protestant 
Missionary  operations  named  in  the  order  of  their 
founding:  The  Reformed  Church  in  America  1842; 
The  London  Missionary  Society  1844;  The  English 
Presbyterian  Church  1850;  The  Seventh  Day 
Adventists  1905;  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  1910.  At  present  (1911)  these  Missions 
are  located  in  nine  centers,  viz,  Eng-chhun,  Hweian, 
Chuan-chow,  Tong-an,  Chang-chow,  Amoy,  Chang- 
pu,  Sio-khe,  and  Ting-chow.  At  all  these  centers 
foreigners  reside. 

Evangelistic. 

THE  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA. 

Scarcely  had  the  smoke  from  the  battleships  of 
the  British  fleet,  that  captured  Amoy  on  the  27th 
of  August  1841,  cleared  from  the  horizon  when 
Rev.  David  Abeel  landed  on  these  shores, — six 
months  before  the  signing  of  the  Nankin  treaty. 


230  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Rev.  Wm.  J.  Boone,  Bishop  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church  arrived  at  the  same  time,  but  as 
we  shall  see  presently  he  remained  here  one  or  two 
years  only.  They  were  the  first  Protestant 
missionaries  in  Amoy. 

Rev.  David  Abeel  came  out  from  New  York 
U.S.A.  as  a  representative  of  the  Reformed  Church 
in  America,  but  under  the  appointment  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions.  For  fifteen  years  the  work  which  he 
inaugurated  was  conducted  under  the  supervision 
of  the  A.B.C.F.M.,  aud  then  it  was  passed  over  to 
the  control  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  The 
Reformed  Church  in  America — The  American  Board 
withdrawing  from  this  field  to  open  up  a  new  work 
in  Foochow. 

Well  on,  therefore,  to  nearly  three  quarters  of 
a  century  ago  this  lone  man  stood  on  these  shores 
face  to  face  with  eight  or  ten  millions  of  superstitious 
idolaters.  Like  a  solid  wall  of  adamant,  darkness, 
ignorance  and  evil  seemed  to  completely  envelope 
the  nation.  The  blindness  of  generations  was  upon 
the  people !  Could  they  be  made  to  see  ?  In  the 
same  year  this  brave  pioneer  was  joined  by  Dr. 
Cumming.  (1842-1847),  and  a  few  years  later  by 
Rev.  Elihu  Doty  1844-1865,  and  Rev.  William  J. 
Pohlman  (1844-1849),  the  Rev.  L.  B.  Peet  1846- 
1847)  ancl  the  RCV-  J-  V.  N.  Talmage  in  1847, 
(1847-1892).  The  last  four  were  married  men 
and  were  accompanied  by  their  wives. 


GRAVES  OF  A  FAMILY  DESTROYED  IN  THE  TAI-PING  REBELLION 
BURIED  AT  CHIANG-PENG  ON  THE  NORTH  RIVER. 


•4 


AMONG  THE  TOMBS. 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER      231 

It  must  be  noted  in  passing  that  Abeel,  Doty, 
and  Pohlman,  had  previously  spent  several  years 
in  Java  and  Borneo  waiting  for  the  sealed  doors 
of  China  to  open.  When  those  doors  finally 
opened  they  were  close  at  hand  to  enter  in. 
They  were  all  men  of  unbounded  faith,  of  deep 
piety,  marked  ability,  of  strong  conviction,  and 
unfailing  courage.  They  soon  won  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  people.  They  were  received 
everywhere  most  cordially.  And  it  may  truthfully 
be  said  that,  we  owe  to  them  and  their  co-laborers  in 
the  other  two  Missions, — such  men  as  Revs.  John  and 
Alexander  Stronach,  Wm.  Young,  Wm.  Burns,  Dr. 
Carstairs  Douglas,  and  others, — not  only  the  staple 
character  of  the  independent  and  self-supporting 
church  organization  of  to-day,  but  also  "much  of 
the  tolerant  spirit  among  the  leading  men"  of  this 
part  of  China,  which  has  prevailed  all  these  years, 
notwithstanding  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  and  local 
disturbances  which  have  occasionallly  aroused  the 
passions  of  the  people. 

First  of  all  from  the  home  of  David  Abeel  on 
Kulangsu  (1842),  and  then  shortly  afterwards 
(1844)  from  rented  rooms  over  in  the  city  of  Amoy 
near  the  "Temple  of  the  Sea"  *  (Liau-a~au),  then  in 
Toa-sai-hang,  close  by  Russel  and  Co's  hong  of 
days  long  past,  the  Light  that  giveth  Life  began  to 
stream  forth  into  the  surrounding,  blackness. 

*  Md-Ch6'-Keng. 


232  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

First  Converts.     Only  four  years  pass  by  and 
then  the   first  fruits  are  gathered  in  on  April   5th 

1846  when  two  old  men,  both  over   fifty  years   of 
age,    viz.     Ong-Hok-kui*    (father    of    Rev.    Ong 
Ki-siong),    and   Lau   Un-siaf  were    baptized    and 
received  on  confession  by  Rev.  YV.  J.    Pohlman   at 
Liau-a-au.       These  were  the  for st  baptized  converts 
211  the  Fukien  province.    The  forst  woman  baptized 
and  received  into  church  fellowship  was  Ng  Si-sin  § 
a    widow,    aged    sixty-four,    who    was     received 
by  Rev.  Elihu  Doty  at  Sin-koe-a.  July  29th    1849. 
The/V.y/  children  of  native  Christian  parents  were 
baptized  by  Mr.  Doty  on  May  I9th  1850,  they  were 
Ong    Ki-siong    aged   six   years,   and   his   younger 
brother  Un-iam  aged  seven  months.     These  begin- 
nings may  be  considered  as  applicable  to  the  whole 
of  Fukien,  as  there  were  no  accessions  that  anti-date 
these  as  far  as  records  show. 

First  Protestant  Church  Building.     In   Sept. 

1847  Ong  Hok-kui  sold  the  Mission  a  small  piece 
of   land   with  some  houses  thereon  in  Little  New 
Street   (Sin-koe-a   ^f^ff).     One   of   these  houses 
was  forthwith  fitted  up  for  a  chapel.      The  next 
year    (1848)    Mr.    Pohlman,   having  received   the 
sum  of  $3000,   the  Sin-koe-a  Church  was   begun, 
and  was  ready  for  occupancy  early  the  following 
year.     This,  therefore,  was  not  only  the  very  forst 

*  Died  Aug  loth,  1850,  aged  75. 
t  r>ied  Xov  ist,  1858,  aged  over  So. 
§  Died  Sept.  8th,  1858. 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER      233 

church  building  in  the  Fukien  province,  but,  in 
so  far  as  can  be  discovered,  the  first  in  the  whole 
empire,  i.e.  used  exclusively  for  Chinese  wor- 
shippers. 

The  dimensions  of  the  structure  are  60X37. 
It  is  built  of  brick,  and  is  capable  of  seating 
between  three  and  four  hundred  persons.  In  pass- 
ing it  is  worth  marking  the  faith  that  must  have 
existed  in  the  hearts  of  those  early  builders. 
When  could  they  ever  expect  a  sufficient  number 
of  worshippers  to  fill  a  building  of  these  pro- 
portions! Nevertheless,  for  a  number  of  years 
now  this  building  has  been  fairly  well  filled  at  both 
morning  and  afternoon  services  each  Lord's  day, 
while  in  six  other  places  in  Amoy  and  on  Kolongsu 
large  congregations  meet  to  worship,  in  other  and 
larger  buildings,  the  one  and  true  God.  Whatever 
opinion  we  may  hold  regarding  the  work  of 
Christian  Missions,  such  faith  must  ever  command 
the  admiration  of  all. 

There  is  one  church  on  Kolongsu,  i.e,  the 
London  Mission  Church,  built  about  seven  years  ago, 
1904,  which  has  a  seating  capacity  of  one  thousand. 
There  have  been  occasions  when  this  building  has 
been  packed.  What  joy  would  fill  the  hearts  of 
those  early  pioneers  could  they  witness  the  scenes 
of  to-day,  and  the  many  congregations  that  meet  to 
fill  God's  house  with  music  and  song.  Some  of  us 
believe  that  that  joy  is  theirs  in  their  Father's  house 
on  high. 


234  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Rev.  Elihu  Doty  compiled  the  first  Anglo- 
Chinese  Manual  of  the  Amoy  Dialect  which  he  had 
printed  in  Canton  in  1855.  This  is  still  in  existence 
and  formed  the  basis  of  the  Manuals  now  used  in 
this  region  and  in  Singapore  and  Formosa. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  include  in  this  brief 
survey  a  roster  of  names  (foreigners)  of  those  who 
have  joined  this  Mission  from  the  beginning  down 
to  the  present  (1911),  but  over  eighty  names  appear 
on  the  roll  of  honor.  The  staff  now  numbers  about 
thirty. 

THE  LONDON  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

The  L.  M.  S.  began  work  in  Amoy  upon  the 
arrival  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  Stronach  in  1844. 
(1844-1878).  Subsequently  they  were  joined  in 
1846  by  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Young  1846-1855  and 
Miss  Stronach  (1846-1866),  still  a  little  later  by 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Alexander  Stronach,  1846  (1846- 
1870)  and  Dr.  Hyslop  in  1848  (1848-1853)  and 
by  Miss  Harvitt  and  Rev.  T.  Gilfillan  in  1850. 
(1850-1851). 

Rev.  John  Stronach  before  coming  to  Amoy 
spent  seven  years  in  Singapore  where  he  learned 
the  Amoy  vernacular.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
his  brother  Alexander.  They  were  able  therefore 
to  begin  preaching  at  once  upon  their  arrival,  which 
they  did  at  Liau-a-au.  John  Stronach  being  a 
good  Biblical  scholar,  in  1847  went  to  Shanghai  to 
assist  in  the  translation  of  the  first  Bible  in  Chinese. 


ENTRANCE  TO  LAN-I-IIO-TO  TEMPLE.     Iff 


THU  GREAT  PEACE  TEMPLE. 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER       235 

He  spent  seven  years  there  on  this  work.  He  was 
away  foi  ty  years  from  Scotland,  his  native  land, 
before  he  returned  thither  in  1876. 

Rev.  Wm.  Young  was  born  in  Java.  He  also 
spent  several  years  in  Singapore  where  he  too 
learned  the  Amoy  dialect.  It  is  said  of  him  that 
he  spoke  the  language  like  a  native.  The  first 
thirteen  hymns  of  the  orignal  "  Spiritual  Songs" 
(the  present  enlarged  Union  Hymn  Book  of  the 
three  Missions  contains  these  hymns  but  they 
are  differently  arranged)  were  translated  by  him. 
Miss  Stronach  was  the  first  self-supporting  mis- 
sionary in  Amoy.  Miss  Harvitt  married  Dr.  Jas. 
Y'oung,  when  the  first  union  between  the  L.  M.  S. 
and  E.  P.  M.  occurred.  From  the  beginning  more 
than  fifty  names  appear  on  the  roll  of  those  who 
have  labored  so  faithfully  and  well  in  this  field. 
The  present  staff  of  workers  numbers  about  twenty. 

THE  ENGLISH  PRESBYTERIAN  MISSION 

The  work  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church 
was  inaugurated  in  1850  by  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Jas. 
Young  1850.  (1850-1865).  Later  on  he  was  joined 
by  Rev.  Wm.  C.  Burns  1851-1854;  by  Rev.  J. 
Johnston  1853  (1853-1855);  by  Dr.  Carstairs 
Douglas  1855  (1855-1877). 

Dr.  Young  was  the  first  to  translate  and  have 
printed  a  part  of  the  Bible  in  the  Romanized 
Colloquial,  viz.  that  part  of  Genesis  which  records 
the  history  of  Joseph. 


236  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Rev.  Wm.  Burns  did  not  confine  himself 
strictly  to  the  Amoy  region,  but  traveled  as  far 
South  as  Canton,  and  North  into  Manchuria.  Yet 
notwithstanding  his  wide  and  far  migrations  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  grand  and  solid  evangelis- 
tic work  which  this  Mission  may  look  upon  with 
pride  to-day.  To  Carstairs  Douglas  the  missionaries 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  can  never 
repay  for  his  inestimable  Dictionary  of  the  Ver- 
nacular or  Spoken  Language  of  Amoy, — the  joy  and 
delight  of  every  one  living  in  this  region,  across 
the  Channel,  or  in  the  Straits  Settlements,  for- 
tunate enough  to  possess  a  copy. 

From  the  beginning  about  eighty  names  appear 
on  the  list  of  those  who  have  represented  this 
church  in  this  part  of  China.  The  present  staff 
numbers  nearly  forty. 

OTHER  MISSIONS 

One  or  two  other  churches  began  work  in  the 
early  days  at  Amoy  but  withdrew  before  any  very 
extensive  operations  were  undertaken,  these  were 
the  American  Episcopal  Church  and  the  American 
Presbyterian  Church  Missions.  The  former  was 
represented  by  Rev.  Wm.  J.  Boone  already  noted 
(father  of  Dr.  H.  W.  Boone  of  Shanghai).  He 
spent  only  a  few  years  in  Amoy  (1842-1844)  and 
then  was  transferred  to  Shanghai.  His  wife's  body 
lies  buried  (Sept.  26th,  1842)  beneath  the  sod  in 
the  missionary  cemetery  on  Kolongsu  with  those 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER      237 

who  rest  from  their  earthly  labors,  but  whose  spirits 
redeemed  and  glorified  serve  the  great  King  in  the 
mansions  of  the  blessed. 

The  A.  P.  M.  was  represented  by  Rev.  T.  L. 
McBride  (1842 — 6  months  June-December)  Dr. 
Hepburn  (1843-1845).  Rev.  John  Lloyd  (1844- 
1848)  and  Rev.  H.  A.  Brown  (1845-1847).  Rev. 
John  Lloyd  began  work  in  a  rented  house  near 
Tau-bi-kr-thau  ( near  Hongkong  &  Shanghai  Bank) 
and  did  considerable  work  on  a  Romanized  Col- 
loquial Dictionary,  which  formed  the  basis  of  Dr. 
Douglas'  excellent  book  which  he  was  able  to  carry 
to  completion  with  such  consummate  skill.  There 
were  no  successors,  and  the  American  Presbyterian 
Church  Mission  moved  southward  and  north- 
ward. 

SEVENTH  DAY  ADVENTISTS 

The  first  foreigners  representing  this  Mission 
were  Rev.  W.  C.  Hankin  and  wife  who  arrived  in 
May  1905.  They  were  joined  by  Rev.  B.  L.  Ar- 
derson  and  wife  in  March  1906. 

At  present  they  have  work  in  one  station 
(Amoy)  and  two  outstations,  (To-kang  and  Chuan- 
chow),  with  a  total  of  42  received  into  church 
fellowship.  In  their  employ  there  are  4  native 
evangelists,  4  colporteurs,  and  3  school  teachers. 
3  schools  have  been  opened  with  an  enrollment  of 
62  pupils.  The  native  contributions  for  one  year 
amounted  to  $493.60  Mex. 


238  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

YOUNG  MENS  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION 

Mr.  H.  S.  Mackenzie  arrived  in  Amoy  in 
May  1910  to  inaugurate  the  Y.M.C.A.  work  in  this 
district,  as  a  representative  of  the  British  Y.M.C.A. 
National  Council.  This  is  the  first  appointment 
ever  made  by  the  British  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  in  all  China.  Mr.  Mackenzie  is  also 
the  first  foreign  representative  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
to  enter  this  field,  and  he  receives  the  warmest 
welcome  and  support  of  all  Christian  workers  here 
as  he  comes  to  take  up  a  special  work  that  has  been 
long  neglected. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  MISSION 

It  would  be  most  interesting  to  present  some 
account  of  this  very  extensive  work  in  this  district, 
but  the  author  realizes  the  difficulties  too  well  to 
undertake  such  a  task.  It  must  therefore  suffice  to 
say  that,  this  work  antedates  all  others  and  the 
number  of  church  membership  far  exceeds  all  others. 
Mission  Polity. 

It  should  be  mentioned  here,  tho  it  must  be 
done  briefly,  that  it  has  not  been  the  aim  and 
purpose  of  the  Protestant  missionary  societies  in 
Amoy  to  transplant  their  own  denominational 
churches  on  this  foreign  soil  to  be  governed  and 
directed  by  some  ecclesiastical  body  in  America 
or  Great  Britain.  But  it  has  been  the  policy  of 
the  American  Reformed  Church  Mission,  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  and  the  English 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER      239 

Presbyterian  Church  Mission  to  establish  self- 
governing,  self-propagating,  and  self-supporting 
churches  (See  Apendix  for  number).  Hence  in 
1862  the  first  native  Classis  (;fc  HO  was  formed, 
and  in  1893  two  Classes  (North  and  South),  and 
the  Synod  of  Amoy  ($§  HO  were  organized, 
(A.R.C.M.  &  E.P.M.).  These  churches  are  of  the 
Presbyterian  order.  About  1870  the  Congregational 
Union  was  formed  (fp  HO  (L.M.S.).  These 
churches  are  of  the  Congregational  order.  The 
church  organization  thus  formed  is  known  by  the 
name  of  The  Church  of  Christ  in  China,  -or  more 
literally  The  Holy  Church  of  Jesus  (^5  §jc  IJg  |fc). 

It  is  in  every  way  independent  as  it  has  its 
own  judicatory  and  church  courts.  By  courtesy 
all  foreign  missionaries  are  members  of  Classis 
(Jt  HO  and  Synod  (HH)>  or  the  Congregational 
Union  (5f[lH)>  as  the  case  maybe,  possessing  all 
the  prerogatives  and  privileges  that  the  native 
members  have ;  but  in  no  sense  do  they  represent 
a  Mission  or  Board  in  this  capacity.  They  form 
an  integral  part  of  these  bodies,  having  no  more 
or  any  less  authority  than  other  members. 

The  system  of  organizing  churches  under  the 
Presbyterian  and  Congregational  orders  differs. 
Under  the  former  (Presbyterian)  a  group  of 
churches  or  congregations  forms  one  organization. 
Usually  from  three  to  six  different  congregations, 
meeting  in  as  many  different  places,  constitute  one 
church  organization  which  supports  an  ordained 


240  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

pastor.  To  assist  the  pastor  in  conducting  services 
in  the  different  places,  the  Missions  appoint  and 
support,  or  at  least  help  support,  the  unordained 
preachers.  Under  the  latter  (Congregational) 
more  often  than  otherwise,  each  separate  con- 
gregation forms  a  church  organization,  over  which 
may  be  placed  an  ordained  pastor  or  unordained 
preacher. 

Church  Union. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  in  passing,  that  the 
E.  P.  M.  and  Am.  Reformed  Church  Mission  have 
been  united  in  all  their  evangelistic  and  educational 
effort  from  the  very  beginning.  In  1907  this  union 
was  further  enlarged  by  the  consolidation  of  the 
Theological  College  and  the  Middle  School  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  with  those  of  the  other 
two  Missions.  More  than  that,  the  next  year,  1908, 
a  joint  resolution  was  offered  in  the  church  courts 
of  the  two  bodies  looking  to  the  union  of  all  the 
evangelistic  work  of  the  three  Missions  under  one 
organization.  We  hope  to  see  the  day  of  its  con- 
summation. 

Educational. 

Day-schools. 

The  first  day-school  was  opened  in  1845  at 
Liau-a-au,  by  Rev.  L,.  B.  Peet  who  spent  less  than 
a  year  at  Amoy  (December  i846-September  1847) 
when  he  was  transferred  to  Foochow.  Subsequent- 
ly this  school  was  placed  in  charge  of  Rev.  Elihu 
Doty,  when  Mrs.  Doty  took  the  opportunity  to 


SECTION  OF  POLAM  BRIDGE. 


O  ON  A  BRIDGE;. 


BRIDGE  ACROSS  A  STREAM. 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER       241 

arrange  for  holding  women's  meetings  in  this 
school.  Mrs.  VVm.  Young  opened  the  FIRST 
SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS  with  twelve  pupils  in  her 
house  at  Liau-a-au  about  the  same  time.  Thus  was 
inaugurated  in  this  district,  as  early  as  1847  a  work 
for  girls  and  women  which  has  grown  in  impor- 
tance and  strength  during  the  intervening  years. 
[For  fuller  particulars  see  appendix,  Mission  sta- 
tistics.] 

Theological  Seminaries,  or  Colleges.  Two 
were  started  about  the  same  time,  the  one  in  Rev. 
J.  V.  N.  Talmage's  study,  and  the  other  in  Rev. 
Wm.  Lea's  study  (L.  M.  S.)  early  in  the  '5o's. 
These  two  institutions  carried  on  their  work,  the 
transferred  to  other  and  larger  quarters,  separately 
until  1907,  when  they  were,  as  already  indicated, 
united  under  one  management,  and  since  then 
known  as  the  Union  Theological  College  of  the 
Three  Missions. 

Middle  Schools  or  Academies.  In  1881  the 
E.  P.  M.  and  the  A.  R.  C.  M.  opened  a  Middle 
School  in  a  native  house  on  Kolongsu.  The  L.  M.  S. 
also  opened  a  similar  school  about  the  same  time 
not  far  away.  In  1907  the  two  institutions  were 
united  under  the  joint  management  of  the  three 
Missions.  It  is  now  known  by  the  title  of  The 
Union  Middle  School  of  the  three  Missions. 

Anglo-Chinese  Colleges.  The  Kolongsu  Anglo- 
Chinese  College  was  first  started  in  T8Q7  by 


242  IN   A XI)  ABOUT   AMOY 

representatives  of  the  three  Missions,  but  in  1900 
the  management  and  financial  obligations  were 
taken  over  by  the  E.  P.  M.  tho  the  L.  M.  S.  had  a 
share  in  some  part  of  the  administration  of  its 
affairs. 

Other  Educational  Work. 

NOT  CONNECTED  WITH  MISSIONS. 

The  Tung- Wen  Institute  was  first  established 
on  Kolongsu  about  1898  in  a  native  house,  and 
then  some  three  or  four  years  after  moved  over  to 
Amoy  to  occupy  its  new  and  commodious  building 
erected  in  1902.  While  this  is  not  a  missionary 
institution,  nor  in  anywise  connected  with  Missions, 
yet  to  make  the  history  of  foreign  educational  work 
in  this  port  more  complete,  it  may  be  inserted  here. 

The  founder  of  this  Institute  was  Mr.  A. 
Burlingame  Johnson,  then  U.  S.  Consul  at  Amoy. 
He  enlisted  the  cooperation  and  support  of  a  number 
of  wealthy  Chinese  gentlemen,  from  whom  a  Board 
of  Trustees  was  chosen  and  by  whom  the  Institute 
has  ever  since  been  successfully  conducted.  By- 
constitutional  authority  the  resident  U.  S.  Consul  is 
made  President  of  the  Board,  and  the  Commissioner 
of  Customs  Vice  President. 

Speaking  of  educational  work  in  the  Annual 
Trade  Report  of  Amoy  for  1909  the  Commissioner 
uses  these  significant  words  : — "  The  forward  educa- 
tional movement,  which  has  made  so  much  headway 
all  over  China,  has  at  this  port  been  continued  with 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER       243 

greater  impetus  than  before.  All  the  educational 
establishments  report  large  increase  in  students ;  and 
the  wealthy  class  continue  to  cooperate  handsomely 
in  this  great  work  by  giving  large  sums  to  the 
various  institutions." 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  mentioned  that 
the  natives  of  this  port  who  reside  in  the  Straits, 
Manila,  and  elsewhere,  are  manifesting  the  keenest 
interest  in  these  educational  matters.  A  Chinese 
pastor  has  just  returned  (1910)  from  Manila  bring- 
ing a  handsome  contribution,  in  cash  and  promises, 
of  $10,000  Mex.  for  such  work.  Nor  does  this  by 
any  means  exhaust  the  list  of  similar  gifts  from  the 
same  sources ; — others  have  been  helped  in  the  same 
way  by  these  patriotic  citizens  living  abroad. 

Medical  Work. 

Medical  work  was  first  of  all  begun  by  Dr. 
Cummings  (A.  R.  C.  M.)  in  1842  (1842-1846)  in  a 
native  house  on  Kulangsu, which  was  occupied  by  Mr. 
Abeel  and  himself  as  a  residence ;  and  then  in  rented 
rooms  over  in  Amoy  at  Liau-a-au.  This  was  barely 
anything  more  than  dispensary  work,  but  it  was  a 
beginning.  Dr,  J.  C.  Hepburn  arrived  in  1843  and 
assisted  Dr.  Cummings  for  a  little  over  a  year  and 
a  half  (1843-1845). 

From  1850-1854  Dr.  James  Young  (E.  P.  M.) 
had  charge  of  the  Medical  work.  He  was  followed 
by  Dr.  Hirschberg  (L.  M.  S.)  1853-1858:  and  Dr. 


244  ™  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

John  Carnegie  (E.  P.  M.)  1859-1862.  During  this 
latter  period  a  new  place  was  secured  at  Toa-sai- 
hang  and  a  hospital  opened  there.  This  hospital 
may  rightly  be  considered  the  predecessor  of  the 
one  now  at  Tek-chiu-kha  which  was  opened  by  Dr. 
A.  L.  Macleish  (E.P.M.)  in  1883  (1881-1893)  but 
passed  over  to  the  American  Reformed  Church 
Mission  in  1895,  from  which  time  it  was  under  the 
supervision  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  A.  Otte  till  1910. 
However  the  building  was  used  principally  as  a 
dispensary  in  connection  with  the  two  larger 
hospitals  (Hope  and  Wilhelmina)  on  Kulangsu 
which  were  erected  in  1898. 

In  1862  the  foreign  merchants  offered  to  relieve 
the  Missions  of  the  financial  burdens  of  maintaining 
a  hospital,  and  the  administration  of  its  affairs. 
The  offer  was  accepted  and  hence  the  Community 
Hospital  was  started,  with  the  Community  doctor 
or  doctors,  in  charge.  Quarters  were  secured  first 
of  all  at  Liau-a-au,  and  subsequently  the  present 
premises  at  Ti-sek-khut  were  occupied.  Dr.  Jones, 
and  Dr.  Carnegie  (who  returned  to  Amoy  as  a 
Community  physician)  had  charge  of  the  hospital 
in  connection  with  their  other  regular  work  among 
the  foreign  community  of  the  port.  Inasmuch  as 
the  hospital  retained  its  Christian  name  and  charac- 
ter, the  missionaries  gave  substantial  financial 
support,  and  much  time  in  conducting  Christian 
instruction  and  other  religious  services  among  the 
patients. 


CAMEL  ROCK. 


THE  ROCKING  STONE,    &  ®j 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER       245 

This  sympathetic  union  work  continued  till 
1877  when  a  most  remarkable  thing  occured 
which  disrupted  the  pleasant  relation  that  had 
existed  unmolested  for  fifteen  .years.  An  objection 
was  raised  by  a  prominent  man  in  the  community 
against  the  Christian  name  and  character  of  the 
institution.  He  objected  to  the  religious  teaching- 
conducted  within  its  walls,  and  everything  Christian 
connected  with  it.  For  some  inexplicable  reason 
the  objection  was  sustained,  and  forthwith  the  sign 
designating  it  a  Christian  Hospital  was  removed. 
However  it  was  only  a  whiff  of  wind,  and  tho  the 
sign  was  not  restored,  nor  the  old  relation  fully 
restored,  yet  it  should  be  said  that,  for  the  past 
thirty  years  at  least  the  gospel  message  of  hope  to 
the  poor  sufferers  has  been  faithfully  proclaimed 
by  the  missionaries  and  a  regularly  employed 
evangelist  of  the  hospital. 

Drs.  Jones  and  Carnegie  were  succeeded  by 
Sir  Patrick  Manson  now  "distinguished  as  a 
parasitologist,  and  the  first  to  enunciate  the  hypo- 
thesis that  the  mosquito  was  the  host  of  the  malarial 
parasite  at  one  of  the  stages  of  its  existence,  and 
thus  an  active  agent  in  diffusing  the  disease."  He 
is  also  an  authority  on  Tropical  Diseases,  and  until 
1910  occupied  the  position  of  physical  and  medical 
advisor  to  the  Colonial  Office  in  London.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Drs.  Ringer.  Mac-Dougal,  Home, 
Moorhead,  and  Ainslie. 


246  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

With  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Macleish  (E.  P.  M.) 
in  1 88 1,  medical  work  was  again  taken  up  in  Amoy 
under  missionary  auspices,  by  opening,  as  indicated 
above,  the  Tek-chhiu-kha  hospital.  This  was  soon 
followed  by  other  hospitals  in  the  outlying  country 
districts,  e.g..  2  at  Chuan-chow.  begun  by  Dr.  David 
Grant  (E.  P.  M.)  in  1881 ;  i  at  Sio-khe,  begun  by 
Dr.  J.  A.  Otte  (A.  R.  C.  M.)  in  1889;  i  at  Chang- 
pu,  begun  by  Dr.  Jas.  M.  Howie  (E.  P.  M.)  in 
1889;  i  at  Chang-chow,  begun  by  Dr.  Fahmy 
(L.M.S.)  in  1888;  i  at  Hweian,  begun  by  Dr.  G.  R. 
Turner  (L.  M.  S.)  in  1902:  i  at  Ting-chow,  begun 
by  Dr.  E.  S.  Dukes  in  1900. 

There  are  therefore  twelve  hospitals  in  the 
Amoy  district,  viz  :— 

Eng-chhun        2  Chang-chow       i 

Chuan-chow     2  Chang-pu  i 

Hweian  i  Sio-khe  i 

Amoy  3  Ting-chow          i 

Other  Medical  Work. 

NOT    CONNECTED    WITH    MISSIONS. 

There  was  also  a  Marine  Hospital  (1871-1891) 
located  near  Chha-khu-chhan  jetty.  This  hospital 
was  also  quite  separate  from  Mission  auspices,  but 
its  history  is  worth  noting.  It  was  opened  especial- 
ly for  foreign  sailors  of  Naval  Ships  which  in  the 
early  days,  were  regularly  visiting  this  port.  In 
those  early  days  they  were  rare  occasions  when  no 
vessel  of  some  country  or  other  was  lying  at  anchor 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER       247 

in  this  harbor.  Now,  on  the  other  hand  such 
vessels  call  here  only  very  occasionally.  So  the 
time  came  when  a  Marine  Hospital,  was  unnecessary 
and  it  was  gradually  closed  up.  In  1891  only  a 
portion  was  reserved  for  hospital  purposes,  the 
other  part  being  rented  to  Dakin  Brothers  for  a 
Drug  Store.  Finally  it  was  seen  that  there  was  no 
cali  for  even  reserving  a  small  part  of  the  building 
for  a  Marine  Hospital,  hence  in  1893  its  history 
ended. 

This  piece  of  property  was  secured  by  General 
LeGendre,  American  Consul,  in  1871,  with  the 
agreement  of  the  Chinese  authorities  that,  if  it  ever 
ceased  to  be  used  as  a  Marine  Hospital  it  should 
revert  to  the  United  States  Government.  In  due 
course  this  came  about,  and  since  1893  it  has  been 
the  Consulate  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and 
the  official  residence  of  its  official  representatives. 

Translation  Work.  What  has  been  done  in  the 
iield  of  translation  by  the  missionaries  in  Amoy, 
will  be  found  outlined  in  the  Chapter  on  Amoy 
Rotnanization. 

Trad  Societies.  Tract  Society  work  has  been 
conducted  for  a  number  of  years  by  the  three 
Missions  with  funds  furnished  by  the  Religious 
Tract  Society  of  London  and  the  American  Tract 
Society.  In  1908  the  South  Fukien  Religious  Tract 
Society  was  organized,  which  is  now  conducting  an 
ever  growing  and  important  work. 


248  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

It  is  probably  not  necessary,  nor  will  it  be  ex- 
pected to  follow  here  the  ramifications  of  the  growth 
and  extension  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  this  Amoy 
district.  That  would  occupy  a  volume  by  itself. 
It  has  been  a  wonderful  growth  and  development, 
resulting  in  the  organization  of  a  Classis  (native) 
in  1862;  the  ordination  of  two  native  pastors  and 
installation  over  two  churches  in  Amoy,  viz.,  the 
Sin-koe-a  and  Tek-chhiu-kha  churches  in  1864; 
the  organization  of  the  Synod  of  Amoy  (native)  in 
1893;  and  the  organization  of  the  Congregational 
Union  (L.  M.  S.)  about  1870.  Statistics  only  tell 
part  of  the  story,  but  those  given  in  the  Appendix 
will  give  some  idea  of  what  has  been  accomplished, 
and  also  the  present  status  of  the  work  of  Missions 
conducted  in  and  about  Amoy. 

But  it  is  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  a 
period  which  covers  the  author's  residence  in  China, 
that  the  work  has  advanced  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
It  is  a  significant  fact,  and  one  which  may 
always  be  observed  in  connection  with  the  growth 
of  Christ's  Kingdom  on  earth,  that  it  increases  in 
strength  and  numbers  under  persecution.  The 
great  persecution  which  swept  over  the  northern 
and  central  parts  of  the  Empire  in  1900,  and  to  some 
extent  in  this  district,  undoubtedly  accounts  for  this 
marvellous  development  and  expansion ;  and  which 
may  be*  taken  as  a  prediction  and  an  expectation  of 
a  still  more  marvellous  growth  and  expansion 
during  the  next  twenty-five  years. 


MEMORIAL  ARCH  PRAISING  THE  VALOR  AND  VIRTUE  oe  THE  MAN 

WHO    DROVE   THE   DUTCH    FROM    THESE^PARTS. 


AMOY  A  MISSIONARY  CENTER      249 

In  addition  to  the  enumeration  found  in  the 
Appendix  there  is  a  chain  of  mission  churches  or 
chapels  extending  across  country  from  Svvatow 
on  the  south  to  Foochow  on  the  north,  making 
it  possible  to  spend  the  night  in  some  comfortable 
Mission  chapel  for  a  distance  of  350  miles  along 
the  coast.  Similar  quarters  may  be  found  even 
unto  the  borders  of  Kiangsi  on  the  west.  But 
the  story  of  sixty-five  years  of  missions  in  the 
Amoy  field, — so  replete  with  interesting  details  and 
marked  success,  must  be  told  by  itself  to  be  appre- 
ciated and  understood.  We  must  therefore  content 
ourselves  with  these  few  facts  here. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

KOLONGSU.f 
INTERNATIONAL  SETTLEMENT. 

This  small  island  of  irregular  oval  form,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  long  by  half  a  mile  wide,  lies 
within  easy  rowing  distance  of  Amoy  city.  It  has 
consequently  been  the  residential  quarter  of  the 
merchantile  and  missionary  community  in  this  part 
of  the  Far  East.  For  situation  and  natural  attrac- 
tions, with  its  beautiful  harbor  and  grand  hills 
around  it,  it  is  unsurpassed  anywhere  along  this 
entire  coast.  From  two  hundred  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  foreigners  reside  here  in  very  comfortable 
homes;  and  since  the  inauguration  of  the  Municipal 
Council's  regulations  these  homes  have  been  placed 
under  vastly  improved  conditions. 

The  name  Ko-long-su  is  made  up  of  three 
Chinese  ideographs  or  symbols,  viz :  Ko — a  drum ; 
Long — a  rushing  sound,  e.g.,  a  wave:  and  Su — an 
island.  The  whole  therefore  meaning  Drum  Wave 
Island,  and  so  called  because  of  a  peculiar  wave-like 
sound  produced  by  the  sea  rushing  thro  the  hollow 
of  a  rock  that  reposes  on  the  beach  back  of  the 
German  Consul's  residence. 

For  situation  and  natural  attractions  it  is 
unsurpassed  along  the  coast  of  China.  Nature  has 
made  it  grand  and  rugged.  Almost  in  its  very 


t  Sometimes  written  Knlangsu. 


252  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

center  is  a  gigantic  pile  of  rocks  grouped  m  most 
marvelous  shapes,  and  raising  their  heads  three 
hundred  feet  in  the  air.  From  certain  points  of 
observation,  the  outlines  of  a  camel  reclining  caw 
be  easily  seen  in  this  mass  of  rocks.  It  is  called 
Camel  Rock.* 

Among  this  particular  mass  of  high  rocks, 
which  has  received  the  name  "Camel  Rock," 
there  is  one  large  boulder  on  which  these  Chinese 
ideographs  have  been  inscribed  :  — 


While  opinions   may  differ  as  to  their  exact 

meaning,  it  is  quite  evident  that  they  are  intended 

to  convey  the  praises  of  the  beauties  of  location 

and  scenery  of  this  island  and  neighborhood,  —  as 

being  the  most  desirable  place  that  one  could  wish 

for  habitation,  —  and  may  be  translated  as  follows  :— 

Kolongsu  is  a  paradise  on  earth, 

Amoy  is  the  very  best.     (Couplet) 

The  attention  of  the  author  has  been  called  to 

a  Glossary  f  of  Chinese  Rhymes,  where  the  charac- 

ters       ^  occur  in  the  line  ffi?tmi&&3i$&ife 


*  It  is  a  shame  that  such  monuments  of  nature  have  to  be 
marred  and  defaced  by  thoughtless  persons.  Both  "Camel 
Rock  '*  and  "  Rocking  Stone  "  have  suffered  in  this  way  at  the 
hands  of  sailor  boys,  while  no  navy  has  been  honored  by  such 
deeds  of  vandalism. 

mm 


KOLONGSU  253 

;£,  $f.  They  seem  to  refer  to  some  lofty  height  of 
pleasurable  abode, — that  is  a  state  or  condition  of 
peace  and  happiness  not  possible  of  attainment,  or 
obtainable,  on  a  pure  and  simple  mundane  sphere. 
It  is  possible  that  these  two  characters  j]jf  ^  may 
have  been  copied  from  this  ancient  rhyme,  but  the 
meaning,  like  a  great  many  other  phrases  in  Chinese 
literature,  is  decidedly  obscure. 

To  be  very  literal,  the  translation  of  the  above 
couplet  might  be  something  like  this  : 

Drum  Wave  Island  is  a  Paradise  on  Earth, 

The  Paddy  *  Bird  Stream  is  the  Best. 

Dr.  Carstair  Douglas  in  his  Dictionary  of  the 
Amoy  Vernacular  makes  no  translation  of  these 
characters,  and  refers  alone  to  the  first  line  by 
simply  observing  that  they  indicate:  "The  highest 
rock  on  Kolongsu."  Prof.  Herbert  A.  Giles  in  his 
Chinese-English  Dictionary,  likewise  referring  only 
to  the  first  line,  translates  the  characters :  "  Drum 
Wave  (Island)  is  a  paradise  upon  earth  "  probably 
meaning  a  place  where  departed  spirits  might  well 
delight  to  dwell  and  roam.  Some  hidden  meaning 
of  this  nature  the  symbols  bear,  referring  quite 
likely  to  "  Elysian  fields"  or  Sien-soa  (|ft  jlj)  the 
happy  home  of  departed  spirits  or  fairies.  This 
line  therefore  had  Kolongsu  alone  in  mind. 

These  characters  were  not  all  written  by  one 
and  the  same  person,  nor  at  the  same  time  even. 

*  The  old  and  poetic  name  of  Amoy. 


254  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  first  line:  Kb  Long  J^ong  Thian  was  written 
so  long  a  time  ago  that  no  one  knows  just  when ; 
the  second  line :  Lo  Kang  Te  If,  was  inscribed  some 
thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  by  a  Mr.  Lim,  father  of 
the  Chinese  writer  now  in  the  German  Consulate 
here,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  not  allowing 
Amoy  to  take  second  place  in  any  such  matters  as 
the  first  line  indicated.  So  in  his  day  a  man  was 
found  clever  enough  to  add  the  second  line  which 
speaks  the  same  word  of  praise  for  Amoy :  "  The 
Paddy  Bird  Stream"  or  "the  Egret  River"  (old 
names  for  Amoy)  "is  the  best." 

Taken  together  therefore,  or  singly,  by  con- 
sensus of  opinion  gathered  from  native  sources, 
the  meaning,  which  these  characters  are  intended 
to  convey,  is  that  not  only  is  Kolongsu  a  paradise 
upon  earth,  but  that  Amoy  is  likewise  so,  for  the 
place  has  yet  to  be  discovered  that  can  approach  it 
in  any  respect. 

Neither  Kolongsu  nor  Amoy  was  considered 
much  of  a  paradise  when  foreigners  first  took  up 
their  residences  here  in  1841-2.  In  fact  the  former 
was  considered  more  unhealthy  than  the  latter  with 
all  its  dirt  and  filth.  When  the  British  troops 
were  stationed  here  on  this  island  in  1841  they 
were  stricken  down  by  the  hundred  with  fever. 
Hence  the  place  had  no  attractions  for  the  mission- 
aries and  merchants  who  came  in  the  early  forties. 
But  about  1860  they  began  to  move  over,  having 
discovered  their  mistake,  and  have  lived  here  very 


KOLONGSU  255 

comfortably  ever  since  in  well  built  houses,  situated 
for  the  most  part  on  high  elevations,  with  sea 
views  on  all  sides. 

The  island  therefore  has  been  the  residential 
place  of  all  foreigners  for  many  years.  All  the 
principal  business  houses  and  banks  are  located  on 
the  Amoy  side  of  the  harbor.  Over  there  also  may 
be  found  the  Community  and  Tek-chhiu-kha  hos- 
pitals, and  the  Tung-Wen  Institute.  Besides  the 
foreign  residences  on  Kolongsu  there  are  located 
here  the  higher  educational  institutions  of  the 
three  Protestant  Missions;  Douglas  Memorial 
Church  erected  in  1880  for  Chinese  services  to 
the  memory  of  Dr.  Carstairs  Douglas,  LL.D.,  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  English  Presbyterian 
Mission;  Talmage  Memorial  Hall,  the  home  of 
the  Union  Middle  School,  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Rev.  J.  V.  N.  Talmage  for  more  than  forty 
years  a  missionary  of  the  American  Reformed 
Church  Mission  at  Amoy;  Hope  and  Wilhelmina 
Hospitals,  and  a  Union  English  Chapel  built  in  1863, 
where  services  in  English  are  held  every  Sabbath. 
There  are  also  the  Consulates  of  Great  Britain, 
Germany,  United  States,  France  and  Japan ;  several 
Post-offices  and  Telegraph  offices ;  two  Club  houses 
with  reading  rooms  and  libraries :  two  hotels,  and 
several  drug  stores. 

Wherever  there  is  a  community  in  the  East 
there  you  will  be  pretty  sure  to  find  a  Recreation 


256  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

ground.  Kolongsu  has  one  of  the  finest  Recreation  * 
Grounds  along  the  coast,  where  the  foreigners 
indulge  in  recreation  and  health-giving  exercise — 
just  as  important  as  one's  meals  out  here — such 
as  tennis,  cricket,  and  hockey. 

Kolongsu  is  not  only  the  residence  of  foreigners. 
There  are  natives  in  evidence  on  every  hand.  On 
this  same  island,  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half  long 
and  half  a  mile  wide,  there  are  three  distinct  Chinese 
villages  with  a  combined  population  of  7,000  or 
8.000  persons.  (Last  census  1909). 

On  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  island  is 
located  the  Amoy  Signal  Station  which  an- 
nounces the  arrival  of  every  ship  entering  this 
harbor.  It  also  notifies  us  of  all  approaching 
typhoons  and  other  storms.  For  many  years  it 
was  located  on  the  hills  back  of  Amoy  city  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  "White  Stag  Temple."  In  1877  it 
was  transferred  to  its  present  position  on  Kolongsu. 
It  is  pretty  generally  understood,  tho  some  may 
not  know,  that  the  lower  mast  is  iron  and  it  once 
graced  the  deck  of  the  Blue  Funnel  S.S.  "  Hector  ' 
that  came  to  grief  on  the  rocks  just  outside  Chhi- 
su,  1876.  The  yardarms  and  upper  mast  (wood) 
were  made  to  complete  it. 


*This  desirable  piece  of  propertv,  except  a  small  strip  at 
the  west  side,  was  secured  by  General  LeGendre,  U.S.  Consul  in 
1872  with  the  stipulation,  that  if  it  ever  ceased  to  be  used  for 
the  purpose  indicated,  it  should  revert  to  the  United  States 
Government. 


KOLONGSU  257 

There  are  several  caves  or  caverns  on  the 
Island  to  be  found  along  its  Western  shores,  more 
or  less  interesting,  about  which  the  natives  are 
prepared  to  tell  most  thrilling  stories.  However  it 
might  be  just  as  well  to  receive  their  yarns  with 
some  mental  reservation.  The  largest  one  of  these 
caves  maybe  found  on  "the  long  round"  over  the 
hill  beyond  the  Kolongsu  Dairy,  near  the  first  stone 
seat.  It  is  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  long  and  about 
ten  feet  high.  What  it  was  in  former  days  it  would  be 
difficult  to  say.  Possibly  it  may  have  extended  into 
the  hillside  for  some  distance,  but  the  fast  disinter- 
grating  rock  constantly  falling  has  entirely  obliterat- 
ed all  signs  or  indications  of  any  such  extension  or 
subterranean  passage  beyond,  if  any  such  thing 
ever  did  actually  exist  in  long  by-gone  days.  But 
there  are  those  who  will  inform  you  that  this  cave 
once  formed  the  entrance  to  an  under  ground  passage 
whose  exit  was  below  the  London  Mission's  new 
house,  and  directly  opposite  the  gate  of  the  German 
Consul's  residence.  Whatever  may  be  said  about 
the  entrance,  it.  will  require  considerable  imagination 
to  discover  much  of  anything  in  the  way  of  an  exit 
in  this  locality.  There  is  only  the  slightest  sugges- 
tion of  one.  so  slight  that  it  will  hardly  bear  in- 
vestigation. 

Nevertheless  the  story  is  that  such  a  subterran- 
nean  passage  did  exist,  and  was  the  rendezvous  of 
the  bold  buccaneers  and  pirates  who  made  this 
island  their  camping  ground  some  three  or  four 


258  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

hundred  years  ago  and  which  also  afforded  a  means 
of  escape  on  many  an  occasion  when  they  were 
pursued  by  the  authorities  who  were  seeking  their 
capture.  Tradition  says  it  was  called  the  "  Cave 
of  Rescue."  In  any  case  it  makes  a  good  story, 
and  lends  scope  for  some  speculation  about  the 
affairs  of  the  early  days  of  this  place,  glimpses  of 
which  we  have  already  had  in  the  opening  chapters 
of  this  book. 

In  1903  this  island  became  an  International 
Foreign  Settlement,  passing  at  that  time  under  the 
control  of  the  powers :  America,  Great  Britain, 
Germany,  Holland,  Spain,  and  Japan,  represented 
at  this  port.  A  Municipal  Council  was  elected  in 
January  and  began  to  exercise  its  authority  the 
first  of  May  of  the  same  year. 

The  Council  (elected  annually)  is.  composed 
of  six  members,  besides  a  Chinese  representative 
appointed  by  the  Taotai  of  Amoy.  There  is  also  a 
Captain  Superintendent  *  of  the  Police  (permanent), 
who  has  under  his  command  a  police  force  of  one 
Sergeant  Major,  three  3rd  class  Sergeants,  and  four- 
teen Constables.  They  are  all  Indian  Sikhs.  The 
present  Superintendent  is  Mr.  C.  Berkeley  Mitchell 
upon  whom  rests  not  only  the  execution  of  the  will 
of  the  Council  but  the  good  order  and  peace  of  the 
Island. 


*Provision  it  also  made  for  the  employment  of  an  Assistant 
Superintendent,  but  the  office  thus  far  has  been  irregularly 
occupied. 


KOLONGSU  259 

A  set  of  resolutions,  similar  to  those  in  vogue  in 
Shanghai,  adopted  by  the  residents  of  the  Island 
and  subsequently  ratified  by  higher  authorities  in 
Peking,  forms  the  Magna  Charter  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Settlement. 

The  Annual  Meeting  is  held  about  the  last 
week  in  January  of  each  year,  when  the  accounts 
and  other  matters  are  considered  and  new  members 
of  the  Council  elected.  At  the  annual  meeting 
held  on  the  24th  of  January,  1911,  the  accounts 
showed  a  total  expenditure  of  $27,208.52  Mex. 
for  the  year  1910,  while  the  revenue  aggregated 
$26,539.68  Mex.  leaving. a  debit  balance  of  $668.84. 

The  following  items  however,  which  appear 
in  the  well  prepared  printed  Report  of  the  Muni- 
cipal Council  for  1910,  show  a  very  healthy 
financial  condition  of  municipal  affairs.  At  the  . 
end  of  1909  there  was  a  handsome  surplus  on 
hand  of  $3,173.01;  from  this  is  deducted  the  debit 
balance  of  $668.84,  which  leaves  a  credit  balance 
of  $2,504.17.  From  this  there  is  set  aside  a 
sinking  fund  of  $2,000  for  the  redemption  of 
Debentures.  A  surplus  of  $504.17  is  therefore 
carried  forward  on  1911  accounts.  The  budget 
for  191  [  calls  for  an  estimated  expenditure  of 
$26,745  with  an  estimated  revenue  of  $26,989  Mex. 

From  statements  made  by  Mr.  W.  Kruse, 
Chairman  of  the  Council,  and  as  printed  in  the 
Report,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  present  entire 
indebtedness  of  the  International  Settlement 


260  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

"amounts  to  only  $18,000,  which  consists  of  180 
Debentures  of  $100  each,  bearing  interest  at  the 
rate  of  /  per  cent  per  annum.  These  funds  were 
raised  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  land  and 
constructing  Municipal  buildings,  goal,  etc.,  and 
it  is  conservatively  estimated  that  the  land  and 
buildings  at  present  are  worth  $25,000."  Mr.  Kruse 
perhaps  does  not  take  a  too  hopeful  view  of  the 
situation  when  he  says,  or  intimates,  that  at  the 
expiration  of  fifteen  years, — that  is  to  say,  twenty 
years  from  the  beginning  of  the  Settlement, — "the 
Island  will  be  free  from  debt,  and  those  coming 
to  reside  at  that  time  will  find  their  buildings  paid 
for,  wells  sunk,  and  roads  and  drains  constructed." 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  ratepayers  of  the 
International  Settlement  held  on  the  22nd  of 
November  1910,  it  was  unanimously  decided  to 
construct  an  Artesian  well.  Authority  was  given 
to  the  Council  to  employ  a  Japanese  expert,  Mr. 
K.  Noda,  to  drive  a  two  inch  well  to  the  depth 
of  i, 800  feet  if  necessary,  which,  it  was  calculated, 
would  furnish  about  17,000  gallons  of  water  a  day. 
The  cost  of  such  a  well  at  this  depth  was  estimated 
at  $3.500  Mex.  If  water  was  struck  at  a  less  depth 
of  course  the  expense  would  be  proportionately 
diminished.  Work  was  begun  in  December  1910. 

The  primitive  method  of  sinking  this  well  was 
most  interesting.  A.  scaffold,  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  high  with  a  long  sweep  made  of  a 
dozen  or  more  bamboo  poles  and  securely  bound 


KOLONGSU  261 

at  one  end  to  the  scaffolding,  and  nicely  tapered 
at  the  other  so  as  to  afford  great  elasticity  (forming 
a  most  powerful  spring)  ;  and  a  wheel  about  ten 
feet  in  diameter,  which  was  used  to  wind  up  the 
drilling  apparatus  when  necessary,  formed  the  me- 
chanical arrangement  by  which  the  work  was  done. 

A  drill,  composed  of  long  strips  of  split 
bamboo,  strongly  bound  together  at  the  joints 
with  iron  bands,  and  having  a  three  pronged  heavy 
steel  punch  at  the  end,  was  attached  to  the  iong  sweep 
and  then  manipulated  in  a  twisting  grinding  fashion 
by  hand.  The  process  was  exceedingly  slow.  On 
account  of  rock,  some  days  only  three  inches  were 
bored.  Dynamite  was  used  to  some  extent,  but 
from  the  time  of  starting  on  December  igth  1910 
to  June  I5th  1911  only  130  feet  and  3  inches  had 
been  bored.  More  than  50  feet  of  this  was  right 
down  thro  solid  flint-like  rock.  What  could  such 
primative  apparatus  as  was  employed  hope  for 
against  rock  like  this!  Nothing  short  of  a  steam 
drill  could  expect  to  penetrate  it.  About  the  middle 
of  May  the  two  and  half  inch  piping  was  sunk  to 
the  full  depth  already  bored  with  the  expectation 
that  matters  would  be  facilitated,  but  il  was  useless, 
and  on  June  I5th  all  work  on  the  well  was  finally 
abandoned. 

Since  the  attempt  to  sink  the  Artesian  well  on 
Kolongsu  has  proved  a  failure  (much  to  the  regret 
and  disappointment  of  all)  the  problem  of  a  water  sup- 
pi  y  for  this  island  settlement  still  remains  unsolved 


262  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

For  the  real  beginning  of  this  International 
Settlement  we  must  go  back  fourteen  years,  to  the 
summer  of  1897,  when  a  "  Scheme  for  the  better 
management  of  the  Municipal  Affairs  of  the  island 
of  Kolongsu"  was  proposed  and  referred  to  Peking 
for  ratification.  Nothing  however  came  of  it,  more 
likely  for  the  reason  that  the  scheme  lacked  unanimous 
support  than  for  any  other.  Affairs  therefore  reverted 
to  the  old  regime  of  having  matters  looked  after  by  a 
"Road  Committee"  which  had  been  elected  annual- 
ly for  the  past  twenty  years  or  so,  but  which  had  no 
real  authority  to  adopt  or  enforce  any  regulations. 
It  could  only  do  what  its  name  implied,  keep  the 
roads  in  order.  Under  the  circumstances  it  had 
a  difficult  task  to  do  even  that.  For  what  it  did, 
with  limited  resources,  in  providing  a  road  round 
the  island  (the  only  civilized  thoroughfare  for 
hundreds  of  miles  around)  the  community  is  greatly 
indebted. 

Matters  lay  dormant  until  the  Boxer  troubles 
of  1900,  and  "the  Japanese  Scare"  of  the  same 
year,  when  an  opportunity  offered  to  agitate  the 
subject  once  more.  Once  or  twice  during  the  days 
when  the  conflict  was  rife  in  the  North,  especially 
in  the  vicinity  of  Peking,  excitement  ran  high  about 
Amoy,  which  may  be  briefy  noticed. 

( i )  When  the  troops,  over  in  the  Amoy  forts, 
on  account  of  receiving  no  pay,  we're  on  the  point 
of  mutiny  which  threatened  serious  trouble.  It  was 
thro  the  good  offices  of  the  American  Consul,  A.  B. 


KOLONGSU  263 

Johnson,  Esq,  that  this  was  all  averted  by  personally 
raising  $10,000  to  pay  the  soldiers,  and  by  person- 
ally visiting  them,  and  so,  persuading  them  to  put  on 
their  uniforms,  and  remain  loyal.  For  these  services 
Mr.  Johnson  received  the  grateful  and  spontaneous 
acknowledgement  of  the  Chinese  government. 

(2)  For  some  time  during  those  exciting  days, 
there  was  a  feeling  abroad,  well  founded  or  other- 
wise, that  Japan  had  designs  upon  Amoy,  and  that, 
i  f  a  good  opportunity  offered,  or  necessity  demanded 
it,  she  would  step  in  and  assume  control.  The 
opportunity  seemed  at  hand.  It  was  this  :  Nearly 
everybody  in  South  China  at  that  time  will  recall 
the  incident  attending  the  burning  of  the  (Japanese) 
Buddhist  temple  in  Amoy  on  the  night  of  August 
23,  1900;  what  a  furor  it  created,  and  how  the 
landing  of  the  Japanese  marines  followed  on  the 
24th.  These  marines  were  in  evidence  on  all  sides. 
They  were  partrolling  the  island  of  Kolongsu  night 
and  day,  while  over  in  Amoy  the  city  was  guarded 
by  them  while  they  had  their  field  pieces  planted  on 
the  hills  commanding  the  place.  But  the  arrival 
of  the  British  Cruiser  "  Isis  "  on  the  29th,  and  the 
U.S.S.  Castine  on  the  3ist,  changed  the  situation,  for 
from  that  date  the  retrocession  of  Japan  began,  and 
on  the  3 ist  the  last  marine  had  taken  his  departure. 

After  these  exciting  days,  really  the  most 
exciting  days  of  all  that  never-to-be-forgotten  sum- 
mer, affairs  soon  settled  down  to  their  normal  con- 
dition— with  the  Road  Committee  still  in  power. 


264  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Not  very  long  after  this  stirring  event,  the  idea 
of  a  Foreign  Settlement,  something  broader  and  more 
significant  than  the  "Scheme"  of  1897  was  broached. 

The  prime  mover  in  this  plan  was  the  Ameri- 
can Consul,  and,  who  finally  received  the  support 
of  all  the  other  Consuls.  Its  consummation  was 
undoubtedly  due  to,  and  in  a  large  measure  in 
recognition  of  his  success  in  quieting  the  rebellious 
troops  over  in  the  Amoy  forts.  As  a  matter  of 
history,  it  was  proposed,  first  of  all,  to  make  the 
concessionf  to  the  U.  S.  Government  in  recognition 
of  this  service.  But  this  was  thankfully  and  courte- 
ously declined,  and  the  INTERNATIONAL  SETTLE- 
MENT was  inaugurated. 

Changes  such  as  are  contemplated  are  not  con- 
summated in  a  day,  or  even  a  year.  They  will 
require  time  and  much  patience.  But  with  both,  we 
may  reasonably  expect  steady  progress  in  the  sanitary 
and  other  conditions  of  the  place.  The  settlement 
is  most  admirably  situated  for  the  purpose,  being 
entirely  isolated  from  the  mainland  and  all  adverse 
environments.  Besides  its  ideal  situation  the  place 
is  certainly  unique.  Its  history  will  be  watched  with 
intense  interest.  May  it  live  long  and  prosper,  both 
increasing  the  comforts  and  the  happiness  of  those 
whose  lot  is  cast  in  this  far  off  land ;  may  it  ever 
prove  an  object  lesson  of  the  blessedness  of  cleanli- 
ness and  orderliness  to  those  who  are  sadly  in  need 
of  such  instruction  in  the  city  close  by. 

tin  letters  which  passed  between  the  Tautai  of  Chuan-chow, 
the  Viceroy  of  Fukien  and  the  American  Consul  all  this  is  clearly 
shown. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
TRAVELLING  IN  THE  AMOY  DISTRICT. 

Travelling  in  the  Amoy  district  is  a  slow 
process,  more  often  wearisome  than  otherwise, — a 
peculiar  wearisomeness  of  its  own.  But  the  time  of 
railroads  has  struck,  and  there  is  a  glimmering  hope 
that  one  will  be  completed  in  the  near  future  be- 
tween Amoy  and  Chang-chow,  the  construction  of 
which  was  begun  in  July  1907.  According  to  the 
report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Customs  for  1907, 
the  subscribed  capital  for  this  line  and  its  further 
extension  throughout  the  province  is  $6,000,000  in 
$5.  shares.  The  management  is  invested  in  three 
directors ;  President,  Chiu  Poa-seng,  Vice  President, 
Ho  Choo-choon,  Treasurer,  lap  Chok-lock ;  and  a 
committee  of  eight,  mostly  wealthy  local  or  Straits 
Settlement  merchants ;  and  a  resident  manager.  The 
engineer  in  charge  is  a  native  of  Foochow  who  was 
educated  in  France.  The  construction  presents  no 
particular  engineering  difficulties  excepting  the  bridg- 
ing the  North  River  near  the  Po-lam  bridge.  At 
the  present  time  (1911)  the  road  is  completed  up 
to  this  point,  but  here  it  halts  because  no  satisfactory 
bid  has  thus  far  been  made  to  construct  the  bridge. 
The  river  at  this  point  is  not  wide,  and  not  more 
than  800  feet  of  steel  will  be  required,  but  one  of 
the  specifications,  it  is  said,  requires  that  the  piers 
be  made  of  solid  masonry  laid  thirty-three  metres 


266  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

deep.  The  terminus  at  the  Amoy  end  is  finished, 
and  is  located  at  a  small  village  named  Seng-su, 
directly  opposite  the  Western  extremity  of  Kolong- 
su.  The  land  at  this  point  extends  out  into  the  bay 
and  is  easily  accessible  for  ocean  vessels.  At 
Chang-chow  the  terminus  will  be  near  the  East  Gate. 
Thus  far  about  $1,800,000  have  been  expended;  it 
is  said  that  about  $i;6oo,ooo  more  will  be  required 
to  complete  the  branch  to  Chang-chow, — that  of 
course  must  include  buildings  and  equipment. 

Just  what  part  this  short  line  will  play  in  the 
future  with  other  lines  that  will  inevitably  be 
constructed,  is  not  clear  at  this  present  moment. 
Of  course  there  is  the  possibility  of  its  being 
extended  westward  to  meet  the  Canton-Hankow 
road  at  some  point.  But  the  original  idea  seems 
to  be  to  make  Chang-chow  the  starting  point  of  a 
road  passing  up  via  Amoy  to  Chuan-chow,  and  then 
possibly  on  to  Foochow. 

Another  conjecture  is  that  the  Amoy-Chang- 
chow  line  is  but  a  branch  to  connect  this  metropolis 
(Amoy)  with  a  through  line  running  from  Canton 
to  Foochow.  There  is  still  another  conjecture 
outlined  on  a  map  which  has  been  published. 
According  to  this  plan  Chang-chow  is  made  the 
terminus  of  a  line  that  passes  up  thro  Fukien  as  far 
as  Yen-peng  where  it  branches  off  in  two  directions, 
the  one  going  up  the  coast  thro  Che-kiang  to 
Shanghai,  the  other  thro  Kiang-sk  to  Kiu-kiang 
on  the  Yangtse  River.  With  this  main  line  .both 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT       267 

Amoy  and  Foochow  are  joined  by  short  lines,  e.g, 
the  Amoy-Chang-chow  branch.  But  this  is  all  in 
the  future,  and  there,  we  will  need  to  leave  it  for 
the  present. 

Nine  of  the  eighteen  provinces  are  now  linked 
together  by  the  iron  bands,  a  matter  of  far  reaching 
importance,  economically,  socially,  and  politically. 
But  just  now,  (1911)  about  Amoy  excepting  the 
railroad  mentioned  above  we  travel  in  native 
craft  with  appointments  some  thousands  of  years 
behind  the  times,  whose  engines  are,  for  the  most 
part,  the  muscles  of  men  women  and  children. 

So  far  as  South  China  is  concerned  there  are 
no  roads.  The  nearest  approach  to  a  road,  generally 
speaking,  is  a  narrow  footpath,  something  like  the 
cowpaths  that  lead  to  our  meadows,  winding  and 
twisting  like  some  long  serpent  among  the  paddy 
(rice)  fields.  These  paths  are  raised  about  a  foot 
above  the  fields,  and  were  originally  made  so  to 
mark  the  divisional  lines  between  the  property  of 
different  owners. 

The  only  commissioner  of  these  highways  is 
the  tramp  of  ceaseless  thousands  bearing  their 
heavy  burdens  over  them,  from  one  generation  to 
another.  One  never  expects  them  to  be  kept  in 
good  order.  No  fences  mark  their  boundary,  no 
sign-posts  point  their  direction.  The  stranger 
easily  becomes  confused  and  lost  among  boundless 
fields  covered  \jjith  a  network  of  paths  that  seem  to 
run  in  every  direction  but  the  right  one. 


268  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

In  the  whole  district  of  Amoy  (an  area  of 
18,000  sq.  mi.),  with  the  exception  of  Kolongsu— 
there  is  not  what  we  would  designate  a  road  to  be 
found.  Think  of  a  district  four  times  the  size  of 
Connecticut,  U.  S.  A.  without  roads,  then  you  may 
form  some  idea  of  what  a  predicament  we  are  in. 
This  is  also  true  of  the  whole  of  South  China. 

The  three  principal  ways  of  travelling  in  the 
Amoy  district,  and  about  Amoy  are:  i.  By  sedan 
chair.  2.  By  boats.  3.  By  walking.  There  are  a 
few  ponies,  but  they  are  not  generally  used,  so  we 
need  not  consider  them. 

(i)  The  sedan  chair  is  an  instrument  of 
torture  to  the  uninitiated.  It  consists  of  a  box- 
like  contrivance  swung  on  two  long  bamboo  poles 
each  about  fifteen  feet  in .  length.  It  is  usually 
carried  on  the  shoulders  of  two  men,  unless  the 
person  occupying  it  weighs  over  175  pounds  when 
three  men  are  employed.  Next  to  the  kago  of 
Japan  the  sedan  chair  is  about  as  uncomfortable  a 
contrivance  as  could  be  imagined.  It  simply  means 
to  be  cramped  up  in  a  sort  of  box,  and  to  be  jolted 
along  as  you  are  carried  over  the  abominably  rough 
and  uneven  roads,  with  little  or  no  relief  from 
change  of  position  from  the  start  to  the  finish  of 
your  journey.  Never  were  the  marks  of  an  "injured 
being"  more  manifest  than  those  written  on  the 
face  of  the  traveller  who  has  for  the  first  time  been 
carried  ten  miles  in  one  of  tbe  back-breaking  and 
head-splitting  arrangements.  It  is  a  journey  he  will 
never  forget. 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      269 

It  is  not  cheap  travelling  either.  There  is  not 
even  that  compensation.  The  cost  is  about  260 
cash  (a  cash  is  worth  one-twentieth  of  a  cent  of 
U.S.  Currency)  per  *pho-  (a  pho*  is  a  little  over  three 
miles).  That  means  about  13  cents  for  three  and 
one  third  miles,  or  nearly  four  cents  a  mile.  Nor 
does  this  include  baggage.  That  is  carried  by 
another  coolie,  who  comes  trudging  on  a  mile  or 
two  behind.  His  charges  are  two  cents  a  mile.  So 
you  will  see  the  traveller  by  a  sedan  chair  has  to 
pay  nearly  three  times  as  much  as  he  would  pay 
in  America  by  rail. 

(2)  Boat  travelling  is  but  little  better — only 
better  because  a  little  more  comfortable.  One  has 
more  room  to  spread  out  in.  When  the  water  in 
the  streams  is  low-  it  is  far  slower  travelling  than 
by  the  sedan  chair.  There  is  no  telling  then,  when 
you  will  reach  your  destination.  All  boats  are 
provided  with  sails,  but  five  times  out  of  seven 
there  will  not  be  sufficient  wind  to  move  a  mos- 
quito ;  then  the  boat  has  to  be  rowed  with  long  oars 
or  pushed  by  long  bamboo  poles ;  occasionally  it  is 
to  one's  advantage  to  get  out  on  deck  and  help 
push.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  therefore  the 
journey  is  a  slow  one.  When  one  has  a  lot  of 
superfluous  time  on  hand,  there  is  no  better  way 
to  get  rid  of  it  than  to  take  a  boat  and  go  off 
on  a  trip.  Any  amount  can  be  disposed  of  in 


*  Pronounced  Phaw. 


270  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

this  way.  While  there  may  be  little  fear  of  not 
reaching  your  destination  in  due  time,  you  may 
rest  assured  that  making  time,  or  reaching  port 
by  a  certain  time,  never  enters  the  heads  of  those 
in  charge.  If  any  one  is  thirsting  to  get  away 
from  the  everlasting  hurry  and  hustle,  witnessed 
in  London,  New  York,  or  San  Francisco,  take  a 
vacation  and  spend  it  on  the  boats  of  China. 

The  cost  of  boat  travel  is  much  less  than 
that  of  the  sedan  chair.  A  boat  can  be  hired  to 
take  you  from  Chang-chow  to  Sio-khe,  a  distance 
of  40  miles  (by  water)  for  about  one  dollar  gold  U.S. 
currency.  The  journey  will  occupy  from  thirty  to 
thirty-six  hours,  perhaps  more.  Coming  back 
(down  stream)  better  time  may  be  made. 

Between  Amoy  and  the  nearer  places  like 
Chioh-jim  (port  for  Tong-an),  Chioh-be,  Peh-chui- 
ia,  An-hai,  and  Chuan-chow,  there  are  also  steam 
launches  (introduced  for  the  first  time  in  Amoy  in 
1898)  running  daily.  The  improvement  made  in 
time  by  this  kind  of  craft,  after  they  once  get 
started,  must  be  acknowledged.  Yet  they  are  not 
unmingled  joys.  In  the  first  place  getting 
started  is  often  a  sore  trial.  You  may  make 
inquiries  the  day  before,  as  to  what  time  the  boat 
leaves,  but  the  only  (un)  satisfactory  answer  you 
will  receive  will  be :  be  on  board  at  5.  a.m.,  or 
7.  a.m.  or  at  noon,  as  the  case  may  be.  Strict  to 
to  the  letter  of  the  law,  you  get  up — say  at  3.  a.m. 
have  your  breakfast,  pack  your  baggage,  and  before 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      271 

the  morning  light  appears  you  are  on  the  way  to 
enjoy  the  improvements  of  Western  civilization 
served  up  a  la  Chinese.  Punctual  to  the  minute, 
five  o'clock  finds  you  aboard — and  usually  on  a 
hard  board.  Six  o'clock  strikes  and  you  are  still 
there  holding  down  that  board  which  now  is  sixty 
minutes  harder.  At  seven,  quite  likely — at  least  i  f  a 
sufficient  number  of  passengers  have  arrived  to 
warrant  it,  you  may  notice  the  first  encouraging 
signs  of  getting  away.  It  has  been  a  wait  of  two, 
the  longest  two,  hours  of  your  life.  So  when  you 
get  away,  after  such  experiences  (note  the  plural), 
it  is  not  always  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind.  This 
regulating  the  time  of  departure  by  the  arrival  of 
the  passengers  is  much  like  ministers  waiting  for  a 
sufficient  congregation  to  arrive  before  beginning 
the  service.  That  may  be  well  enough  for  the  late 
comers,  but  is  not  always  appreciated  by  the  early 
arrivals.  Perhaps  waiting  for  passengers  often 
occurred,  when  steamboats  were  first  introduced  in 
other  countries.  May  we  not  wonder  how  often 
Robert  Fulton's  "Clermont,"  and  succeeding  vessels 
started  on  time,  and  how  often  the  wait  occurred 
for  passengers  and  cargo?  It  takes  many  people  long 
to  learn  to  be  punctual. 

But  there  is  one  feature  of  these  launches  that 
has  no  precedent,  and  that  is  the  disorderliness  of 
passengers  and  baggage  on  board.  The  former 
are  huddled  together,  while  the  baggage  is  piled 
around  promiscuously.  When  the  boat  is  crowded, 


272  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

as  is  very  often  the  case,  the  element  of  danger  is 
exceedingly  great.  Good  luck  more  than  good 
management  has  saved  many  a  launch  from  going 
to  the  bottom  with  all  on  broad.  Such  a  disaster 
occurred  near  Foochow  a  few  years  ago  through 
overcrowding.  Then  the  getting  off  and  on  these 
boats  is  enough  to  make  the  bravest  quake.  As 
they,  in  most  instances,  never  go  up  to  a  wharf  to 
unload,  the  passengers  and  baggage  need  to  be 
transferred,  in  mid-stream,  to  smaller  boats  (sam- 
pans) in  order  to  reach  the  shore.  Such  a  mass 
of  human  beings  and  baggage,  all  thrown,  as  it 
were,  in  conglomerate  heaps  together  in  the  bottom 
of  these  light  draft  shallow  boats,  you  in  other 
lands  have  never  seen.  In  some  cases,  even  these 
small  boats  fail  to  land  you  high  and  dry  on  terra 
Arm  a.  Sometimes  the  water  in  the  streams  is  so 
low  these  boats  cannot  be  floated  to  the  shore. 
Then  the  only  way  of  escape  is  on  a  coolie's  back 
— a  predicament  never  to  be  coveted  but  in  which 
we  have  at  times  found  ourselves. 

Along  the  coast  there  are  first  class  steamers, 
ranging  from  800  to  2,000  tons,  officered  by 
Europeans  and  Japanese,  plying  constantly  between 
the  different  ports  from  Canton  to  Vlaclivostock, 
wherein  the  accomodation,  the  speed,  and  punc- 
tuality, will  be  found  to  compare  favourably  with 
such  conditions  in  America  or  Europe.  The  cost 
however  is  rather  more  excessive.  From  Hongkong 
to  Amoy,  a  distance  of  300  miles,  it  costs  $10  to 
$15  gold.  For  boat  travelling  this  is  expensive. 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      273 

There  is  another  kind  of  sailing  vessel  which 
seems  to  be  in  use  almost  everywhere  in  the  East, 
viz :  the  house-boat.  It  is  used  by  foreigners  for 
making  short  excursions  to,  or  for  visiting  the 
different  places  up  the  rivers  and  along  the  estuaries 
round  about  Amoy,  or  to  the  nearer  outlying 
islands. 

Some  of  these  boats  are  quite  large  and  com- 
modious, while  others  are  smaller  and  less  ideal  in 
their  appointments.  The  one  with  which  the  author 
has  had  an  intimate  acquaintance  for  twenty  years, 
belongs  to  the  latter  type.  In  view  of  this  in- 
timacy lie  may  be  allowed  to  say  something  about 
this  craft.  It  passed  under  the  name  of  "Gospel 
Boat,"  and  before  the  advent  of  steam  launches  in 
these  inland  waters,  three  of  them  were  in,  com- 
mission, bearing  the  messengers  of  the  gospel  to 
the  towns  and  cities  all  along  these  rivers  and  the 
coast.  The  launches  have  taken  their  place.  There 
is  not  one  now  in  use.  This  boat  was  a  small 
yacht-like  affair,  looking  innocent  enough,  but 
capable  of  giving  one  about  the  worst  attack  of 
mal-dc-mer  imaginable.  About  forty  feet  long, 
and  twelve  broad,  it  had  a  cabin  of  about  equal 
dimensions  each  way,  eight  feet,  which  contained 
two  berths  (convertible  into  four),  a  toilet  room, 
a  table,  a  chair  or  two,  and  a  lamp. 

How  delightful !  Not  always.  And  few  are 
the  travellers  who  ever  found  it  so.  Some  have 
never-to-be-forgotten  recollections,  some  painfully 


274  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

impressed,  of  long  and  sleepless  nights  while  the 
small  craft  was  wrestling  and  beating  up  against  a 
strong  Nor'easter;  of  nights  spent  in  fighting 
mosquitoes,  wearily  endeavoring  to  overcome  the 
vicious  marauders,  thrashing  and  turning  and 
moaning  after  each  onslaught  till  the  dawn  finally 
came  to  his  relief  and  drove  away  the  invaders ;  of 
nights  spent  in  fear  of  other  and  worse  horrors 
that  "  creep  forth  from  the  boards  to  their  prowling 
till  the  morning;"  of  delays  by  tides,  by  contrary 
winds,  by  indolence  of  the  rowers ;  of  moments  of 
wretchedness  after  returning  from  a  hard  day's 
work,  and  especially  a  three  mile  ride  in  a  sedan 
chair,  with  a  head  that  felt  as  if  it  would  split  and 
a  back  one  felt  would  break.  Not  so  delightful ! 
But  the  delight  came  in  the  thought  that  conditions 
might  be  worse.  Here  he  was  away  from  the 
motley  crowd  at  any  rate;  away  from  greater 
horrors  that  go  prowling  about  in  other  crafts; 
away  from  the  noise  and  battle  of  men  and  women 
herded  together  in  heterogeneous  masses  on  the 
regular  passenger  boats. 

These  passenger  boats  are  a  prominent  feature 
of  life  in  South  China.  Some  of  the  Chinese  have 
no  other  home  than  the  boats  they  ply  up  and  down 
these  rivers.  At  Canton  the  boat  population  is 
said  to  be  something  like  100,000.  At.  Amoy  there 
must  be  a  thousand  or  more.  All  the  way  up  the 
river  as  far  as  Sio-khe,  at  all  the  larger  towns 
including  Sio-khe,  will  be  found  thousands  living 
on  these  native  craft. 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT     275 

And  the  worst  of  it  is  that  when  you  take 
passage  on  these  river  boats  the  whole  family  goes 
along,  and  is  always  in  evidence.  On  one  of 
these  we  once  took  passage.  There  were  six  in  that 
particular  family  besides  the  domestic  attachments 
such  as  two  pigs,  four  chickens,  two  ducks,  eight 
rabbits  and  some  unmentionables.  A  happy  family, 
all  domiciled  on  a  boat  40  feet  long  and  5  feet 
broad.  And  slow !  from  early  dawn  till  dark  those 
human  engines  poled  and  pushed  but  the  miles 
•covered  were  fe\v  indeed.  Being  within  six  miles 
of  my  destination,  and  fully  satisfied  that  my  money 
had  already  received  just  value  in  inches,  feet,  and 
yards  of  poling,  we  decided  the  quickest  way  to 
make  that  last  six  miles  was  to  get  out  and  walk. 

(3)  Walking,  Someone  has  said  that  "walking- 
is  the  last  resort  of  locomotion,  when  motor  or  cycle, 
brougham  or  'bus  has  failed."  It  is  very  frequently 
here  the  first  as  well  as  last  resort. 

Burden-bearers.  When  we  first  reached  this 
far  off  land  it  seenied  like  getting  into  another 
world.  To  see  men  and  women  taking  the  place  of 
beasts  of  burden  did  not  look  at  all  real.  We  saw 
them  carrying  heavy  loads  on  their  backs,  or  on  a 
pole  thrown  across  their  shoulders,  or  pulling  heavily 
laden  carts.  The  usual  way  was  with  the  pole, 
called  the  "pinta,"  a  bampoo  stick  about  five  feet 
in  length.  On  either  end  of  it  they  hang  their  loads. 
Sometimes  a  man  will  carry  his  children  in  this  way. 
The  accompanying  picture  illustrates  how  a  man 


276  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

brought  two  of  his  children  to  Hope  Hospital  for 
treatment.  Frequently  the  load  is  rather  amusing, 
especially  when  a  farmer  has  one  pig  he  wishes  to- 
take  to  market.  To  balance  the  other  end  some- 
thing must  be  found.  If  nothing  else  is  convenient 
he  will  put  one  of  his  children  in  a  basket  and  hang, 
that  on.  So  you  may  see  the  man  tramping  across 
country  with  a  pig  in  a  basket  on  one  end  of  the 
stick,  and  a  child  in  another  basket  on  the  other  end. 

Chinese  Inns.  Closely  allied  with  travelling 
are  the  inns  of  China.  It  seems  an  almost  hopeless 
task  to  describe  these  places  as  they  really  are. 
For,  there  are  sights  and  sounds,  conditions  and 
smells,  that  no  pen  can  adequately  describe,  nor  any 
camera  even  fully  portray.  To  realize  completely 
what  these  places  are,  there  is  no  other  way  than  to 
go  and  see  for  yourself. 

But  an  attempt  must  be  made  to  give  you  some- 
idea  at  least,  of  what  they  are  like. 

Chinese  inns  are  of  two  kinds.  First  there  is 
the  wayside  inn,  restaurants  if  you  like,  and  second 
the  regular  inns,  hotels.  Huge  paper  lanterns  hang- 
out from  the  doors  of  the  latter,  embellished  with 
glaring  characters  (ideographs)  indicating  "peace" 
and  "happiness"  within,  when  there  is  no  peace — 
and  only  a  small  piece  of  any  thing — to  be  found 
within,  except  wretchedness  and  misery  beyond, 
comparison. 

The  wayside  inns  you  will  find  on  the  streets 
of  the  cities,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  towns,  and 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      277 

sometimes  far  out  in  the  country.  They  are  dis- 
reputable looking  affairs,  consisting  of  little  more 
than  a  dirty  old  burlap  or  plaited  bamboo  mat 
fastened  to  a  single  pole  in  some  instances.  Some- 
times they  are  more  dignified  when  they  are  enclosed 
with  a  shed  made  of  mud  walls  on  three  sides,  with 
a  tile  (or  thatched)  roof,  open  in  front.  There 
may  be  a  few  stone  slabs,  or  a  single  board  bench, 
three  or  four  inches  wide,  for  the  weary  traveller 
to  rest  his  weary  bones  on,  if  he  has  the  courage  of 
liis  convictions  to  feel  that  he  is  tired  enough  to 
occupy  one  of  them  with  all  its  disgusting  appear- 
ance. Here  too  in  the  olden  days  might  be  found, 
under  the  old  shack,  a  convenient  cor.ner  with  a 
bed  and  the  opium  pipe  for  the  debauched  smoker. 
The  proprietor  of  such  an  inn  does  not  live  in 
it.  It  is  not  his  home.  That  may  be  miles  away  in 
some  village.  Every  morning  he  takes  his  burden 
of  rice,  sweet  potatoes,  various  other  vegetables  and 
tea,  which,  after  arriving  at  his  place  of  business  he 
prepares  for  hungry  travellers  who  pass  that  way. 
In  the  evening  he  packs  up  what  is  left  and  carries 
it  back  to  his  home  to  be  served  out  another  day. 
The  bill  of  fare  is  small,  so  is  the  price.  A  bowl 
of  rice,  piping  hot,  can  be  had  for  two  or  three 
mills.  The  same  quantity  of  sweet  potatoes,  with 
the  skins  thrown  in,  can  be  procured  for  the  same 
money.  To  quench  your  thirst  you  have  the  choice 
of  three  kinds  of  drink.  You  may  have  a  cup  of 
clear  tea,  without  sugar  or  milk,  or  the  water  tiie 


278  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

rice  was  cooked  in,  a  very  healthful  drink  by  the 
way,  or  water  the  potatoes  were  stewed  in.  Your 
drinks  cost  you  nothing.  The  expense  therefore  at 
this  lunch  counter  will  not  exceed  five  or  ten  cents, 
no  matter  how  much  you  may  eat  and  drink.  But 
the  quality  is  such  that  under  ordinary  circumstances 
the  foreigner  is  usually  satisfied  with  little.  So  the 
cost  is  not  likely  to  be  even  that  much. 

The  regular  inns  found  in  towns,  villages  and 
sometimes  out  on  the  hills,  are  not  far  different  in 
appearances,  appointments,  cuisine,  etc.  They  are 
places  of  real  horror,  enough  to  give  one  the  night- 
mare at  the  very  threshhoid,  to  say  nothing  about 
passing  the  night  in  one  of  them.  Of  all  the  filthy 
places  in  China,  there  are  none  that  can  quite  equal 
these  inns.  With  walls  of  mud,  without  plaster  or 
adornment  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  there  is  not  one 
feature  about  them  to  remind  you  of  a  hotel.  They 
are  usually  one  story  high,  and  composed  of  one 
large  room,  sometimes  there  are  smaller  rooms 
partitioned  off,  but  rarely  having  doors  to  screen 
you  from  the  other  guests.  Privacy  therefore  is 
out  of  the  question.  If  you  chance  to  have  a  spare 
sheet  (for  lodgers  provide  their  own  bedding)  and 
you  can  manage  to  hang  it  up  on  some  friendly  peg 
or  nail,  you  may  succeed  in  shutting  yourself  off 
from  the  staring,  gaping  crowd,  and  secure  such 
privacy  as  that  article  can  afford.  And  you  may  be 
sure  that  there  will  be  a  crowd  around  when  a 
foreigner  is  on  exhibition.  They  never  tire  ot' 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT       279 

looking,  and  they  are  bound  to  force  their  company 
upon  you  whether  it  be  agreeable  or  otherwise,  and 
watch  you,  if  possible,  with  eager  attention  to  the 
very  last  act  in  your  preparation  for  bed — and 
apparently  enjoy  it  to  the  fullest.  The  early 
morning  will  find  some  watchers  ready  for  your 
next  appearance,  At  all  times,  so  long  as  you  are 
a  guest  in  the  inn,  you  will  be  the  great  attraction, 
the  center  of  an  ever  inquisitive,  never  tiring, 
multitude. 

As  they  stand  gazing  at  you  sleeping  or  awake, 
they  will  be  making  all  sorts  of  remarks  concerning 
you,  speculating  about  this  and  that,  about  your 
dress,  from  your  shoes  to  your  hat,  categorically 
and  in  detail,  your  age  (not  a  pleasant  thing  to  hear 
always),  your  looks  (not  agreeable  at  times),  your 
country,  your  motives  in  being  there,  and  a  hundred 
other  questions  that  only  a  Chinaman  thinks  out 
loud. 

The  last  thing  you  see  at  night,  all  thro  your 
dreams  perchance,  and  the  first  thing  in  the  morn- 
ing will  be  the  never  fading,  never  vanishing  crowds 
that  frequent  these  inns.  For  the  Chinese  are 
great  travellers.  Watch  them,  single  file,  with  their 
burdens  swung  across  their  shoulders,  tramping 
across  the  plains  and  mountains ;  you  might  easily 
imagine  it  was  an  army  on  the  march. 

Let  us  return  once  more  to  the  apartments — or 
the  apartment.  Here  all  the  cooking,  eating,  talking, 
and  sleeping  takes  place.  Here  will  be  found  the 


280  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

kitchen,  office,  dining-room,  parlor,  and  your  retir- 
ing room,  all  in  one.  It  is  convenient  if  not  com- 
fortable. Easily  you  may  make  your  wants  known, 
quicker  than  with  an  electric  button.  In  the  center, 
or  off  on  one  side,  will  be  found  blazing  ovens  with 
great  iron  pans  or  basins  filled  with  rice  or  potatoes, 
cooking  for  the  hungry  travellers,  each  sending 
forth  smoke  and  its  own  particular  fames  into 
every  part  of  the  establishment.  Alas!  if  there 
should  be  an  upper  room  and  you  the  occupant,  for 
it  would  be  a  veritable  smoke  house.  Over  other 
fires  cooks  may  be  frying  cakes,  fish,  pork,  and 
vegetables  in  various  kinds  of  fat.  Savory  smells 
of  garlic  and  pork  mingled  with  other  odors  too 
numerous  to  mention  and  quite  indescribable, 
provide  a  combination  of  smells  the  olfactory  senses 
rarely  meet. 

Spiders,  and  spider-webs  gracefully  festooned 
from  exposed  pillars  to  exposed  rafters  adorn  the 
place  on  all  sides.  Centipedes,  mosquitoes,  cock- 
roaches, fleas  and  other  vermin  will  make  things 
decidedly  interesting  and  lively  at  times,  even  tho  you 
may  be  fortunate  enough  to  shut  yourself  in  behind 
a  sheet.  There  is  no  extra  charge  for  this  kind  of 
entertainment.  For  windows,  there  are  quite  a 
sufficiency  of  holes  scattered  around  promiscuously 
in  the  walls  and  roof  to  answer  all  practical  purposes 
even  tho  they  do  not  let  much  daylight  in.  A 
plentiful  supply  of  air  is  thus  secured,  but  not  always 
from  the  right  quarter.  Cracks  and  crevices  like- 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      281 

wise  may  be  discovered  without  much  difficulty, 
through  which  you  are  able  to  see  the  wind  pouring 
in.  The  chinks  and  holes  in  the  roof  are  occasional- 
ly of  sufficient  circumference  to  change  your  resting 
(  ?)  place  into  a  kind  of  astronomical  observatory, 
where  you  may  watch  the  stars  as  they  march  on 
in  their  course  above  you,  while  you  can  do  no 
otherwise  but  wait  for  the  first  welcome  dawn  of 
the  morning  when  you  can  again  go  forth  on  your 
journey. 

The  bed  consists  of  several  boards  placed  upon 
wooden  benches,  with  a  mosquito  netting  that  looks 
as  tho  it  must  have  come  out  of  the  ark,  or  had 
been  used  to  wipe  up  the  floor  for  the  last  year  or 
so.  The  bill  of  fare  does  not  vary  much  from  that 
found  in  the  wayside  inn.  There  may  be  more 
variety  as  already  indicated.  The  price  is  the  same, 
while  the  lodging  costs  only  a  few  cash  extra. 

Such  are  the  inns  of  China.  Do  you  wonder 
the  foreigner  shuns  them,  and  shudders  when  he 
enters  them?  We  may  be  thankful  that  we  do  not 
need  to  resort  to  them  in  these  days.  For,  it  is 
possible  now  in  the  whole  region  of  Amoy,  with 
very  rare  exceptions,  to  find  comfortable  quarters 
in  the  mission  chapels,  where  privacy,  rest,  and 
freedom  from  undesirable  company  may  be  secured 
for  the  night. 


DISTANCES  FROM  AMOY 
South,  West,  and  Northwest. 


To  Chioh-be         18  miles 

By  steam  launch 

Chang-chow  30      „ 

Via  Chioh-be 

l,eng-na        1  10     „ 

Via  Chaug-chow 

4 

Ting-chow    220      „ 

Via  I<eiig-na 

10 

Sio-khe            60      „ 

Via  Chang-chow 

2 

Peng-ho           85      „ 

Via  Sio-khe 

3 

Hak-ka-Dist.  90      ,, 

Via  Sio-khe 

3 

Peh-chui-ia     iS      „ 

By  steam  launch 

Toa-bo-soa      25      „ 

Via  Peh-chui-ia 

Chaug-pu       tio      „ 

Via  Peh-chui-ia 

2 

3  hours. 
5  to  6 
4  days.  Daylight  travelling. 


2  hours. 
4  to  5       ,. 
2  days.  Daylight  travelling. 


To  An-hai 


North  and  Northwest. 

30  miles    By  steam  launch 


5  hours. 


Choaii-chow  50 
Chhau-tho  50 
Choan-chow  55 
Eng-chhun  95 
An-khoe  80 
Hweiau  70 

I,oh-iu  60 

Hweian  70 

Chioh-jim  20 
Tong-an  25 


Via  An-hai 

By  steam  launch  6        ,, 

Via  Chhau-tho  7        ,, 

Via  Choaii-chow       3  days.-  Daylight  travelling. 

Via  Choan-chow       2     ,,  „  „ 

Via  An-hai  2     ,,  ,,  ,, 

By  steam  launch  to  Chhau-tho 

Sail  boat  to  I«oh-iu 

Via  I«oh-iu 

By  steam  launch 

Via  Chioh-jim 


7  hours. 


3  to  5 


The  Islands.   Lighthouses. 

To  Chhi-su  5  miles.         Tai-tan  Island  8  miles.         Chapel  Island  26  miles. 
Dodd  Island  25  miles 

These  distances  must  not  be  accepted  as  en- 
tirely accurate.  They  are  only  approximate.  When 
one  comes  to  calculating  distances  in  this  part  of 
China  he  meets  with  difficulties  at  once,  chief  among 
them  being  the  difference  in  the  length  of  the  li  *(lee) 


*  The  Chinese  li  is  about  one  third  of  an  English  mile. 
To  be  exact,  it  requires  three  and  a  third  to  make  an  English 
mile. 


284  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

in  different  parts  of  this  district.  There  are  long  li 
and  short  //:  there  are  mandarin  //  and  the  common 
ordinary  country  //.  The  difference  between  these 
two  is  considerable,  a  mandarin  //  being  one  fourth 
shorter.  To  walk  a  mandarin  li  will  require  from 
five  to  six  minutes,  to  walk  the  other  from  eight 
to  nine.  So  when  it  comes  to  computing  distance 
by  such  a  variable  standard  guessing  becomes 
a  factor  which  is  most  difficult  to  eliminate 
altogether. 

In  considering  travelling  by  water  as  above,  it 
might  be  pointed  out  that  these  calculations  of  time 
are  based  upon  favorable  tides,  good  weather  and 
the  best  launches.  E.g,  the  launch  "  Ka-ngo"  makes 
the  run  from  Amoy  to  Chhau-tho  in  five  hours, 
others  require  from  seven  to  eight  hours. 

By  inland  waters,  especially  where  the  streams 
are  very  shallow,  say  boats  drawing  four,  six.  or 
eight  inches,  travelling  is  much  slower  than  by 
chair,  e.g.  the  North  River,  Chang-chow  River, 
Sio-khe  River,  the  Tong-an  River  and  the  Choan- 
chow  River.  From  Chioh-be  to  Chang-chow  the 
traveller  may  travel  by  chair  or  boat.  So  in  regard 
to  Leng-na,  Sio-khe,  Tong-an,  An-khoe  etc.,  they 
may  all  be  reached  by  land  or  water,  but  the  time 
will  be  greatly  decreased  when  travelling  by  land. 
The  comforts  are  another  proposition.  It  a 
choice  between  the  cramped  and  swinging  chair, 
<tnd  a  boat  already  loaded  with  an  entire  family 


TRAVELLING  AMOY  DISTRICT      285 

outfit,  both  of  which  have  been  already  more  fully 
described  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

Scenery.  Travelling  in  this  part  of  China  is 
not,  by  any  means,  altogether  monotonous.  Amoy 
itself  is  beautifully  located  amid  high  surrounding 
hills,  some  of  them  over  a  thousand  feet  in  altitude, 
and  all  either  pagoda  or  rock  crowned.  One  never 
tires  looking  at  them,  tho  they  are  divested  of  all 
trees  and  shrubbery. 

Then  if  one  travels  far  into  the  interior  dis- 
tricts, he  will  find  "the  ever  varying  panorama 
of  natural  beauties''  spread  out  most  lavishly. 
There  are  rivers  that  will  carry  you  by  hundreds  of 
picturesque  villages;  thro  prosperous  agricultural 
valleys, — and  which  cut  their  way  thro  deep  gorges, 
high  above  which  spans  the  matchless  blue  of 
Eastern  skies.  There  are  mountain  passes  3000 
feet  high  to  climb  and  which  form  the  great  divides. 
There  are  forests  of  pine  and  fir  and  other  .trees, 
sweeping  right  up  from  the  base  to  the  summit  of 
these  mountains. — a  thousand  feet.  If  only  the 
facilities  for  visiting  these  places,  such  as  railroads, 
good  hotels,  etc,  were  available,  many  would  flock 
to  them  even  as  they  do  in  other  lands  where  such 
natural  beauties  abound.  But,  undoubtedly,  the 
time  will  come  when  these  localities,  which  are  now 
like  some  closed  book,  will  be  opened  to  the  tourist 
and  traveller  from  all  lands  to  enjoy  and  to  feast 
their  eyes  upon. 


286  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Sunsets.  This  chapter  would  not  be  complete 
without  a  word  about  the  glorious  sunsets  it  is  our 
privilege  to  look  upon  in  and  about  Amoy.  They 
are  simply  magnificent  as  the  sun  lingers  for  a  little 
while  behind  these  western  hills.  Such  gorgeous 
coloring,  delicate  tints,  glory  and  splendor,  are  not 
only  beyond  words,  but  not  everywhere  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
PLACES  OF  INTEREST. 

There  are  round  about  Amoy  not  a  few  places 
of  interest  for  the  foreigner  and  native  alike.  A 
walk  thro  Amoy  city  with  its  narrow  and  crooked 
streets,  open  shops,  and  the  many  unfamiliar  sights 
and  smells  will  excite  deepest  interest  and  astonish- 
ment. A  walk  thro  the  old  original  city  with  its 
gates  and  surrounding  wall  will  recall  vividly  to 
your  mind  all  the  oriental  scenes  of  which  you  have 
heard  or  read. 

Beyond  the  city  there  are  places  that  will  excite 
still  greater  interest.  In  some  places  entire  hillsides 
are  covered  with  graves.  The  mounds  are  covered 
over  with  cement.  They  remind  one  every  forcibly 
of  those  words  in  Matthew  xxiii :  27.  "whited 
sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful  outward, 
but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  of  all 
uncleanness."  China  is  one  big  graveyard,  you  can 
never  get  away  from  the  graves.  They  are  in  the 
dooryards,  on  the  hilltops,  along  the  high  ways  and 
hedges,  everywhere.  Look  where  you  will,  rarely 
will  your  vision  be  unobstructed  by  a  tomb  of  some 
kind.  The  hills  about  Amoy  appear  to  be  made  of 
masses  of  huge  boulders,  the  spaces  between  which 
are  for  the  most  part  covered  with  innumerable  grave 
mounds.  Were  one  able  to  read  the  Chinese 
•characters  carved  on  the  sides  of  many  of  these 


288  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

massive  boulders,  he  would  discover  many  an  in- 
teresting historical  narrative.  Were  he  to  wander 
over  these  hills,  he  would  find  a  number  of  pictur- 
esque Chinese  temples  "embowered  in  groves  of 
drooping  banyans,"  picturesque  because  of  the  re- 
markable manner  in  which  the  massive  boulders 
have  been  utilized  in  beautifying  the  temple  struc- 
tures and  gardens.  It  is  difficult  to  point  out  to  the 
visitor  the  exact  location  of  these  temples  and  one 
can  only  ferret  them  out  from  the  rocky  recesses  in 
which  they  are  hidden,  with  the  aid  of  some  one 
familiar  with  their  location. 

There  are  three  or  four  of  these  temples  worthy 
of  passing  notice  viz : 

(I)— Nan-P'u-T'o.  (Local  dialect  Lam-Pho-- 
T6). 

This  is  the  largest  and  prettiest  temple — really 
a  college  of  temples — in  the  vicinity  of  Amoy. 
Some  of  the  buildings  are  richly  adorned.  It  is  a 
Buddhist  temple,  as  they  all  are  on  the  island.  This 
particular  one  is  a  kind  of  training  school  for  priests 
of  this  order.  There  are  usually  some  twenty 
candidates  in  attendance.  This  temple  is  directly 
accessible  from  the  parade  grounds.  A  road  leading 
from  the  parade  grounds  northward  connects  with  it. 

This  temple,  with  its  interesting  history,  has 
been  admirably  described*  as  follows : — 

*  This  description  was  enclosed  in  a  Souvenir  presented 
at  the  time  of  the  visit  of  the  American  Commercial  Com- 
missioners. 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  289 

"Nan"  meaning  "south"  and  "Pu-To"  being 
the  name  of  the  sacred  island  off  Ning-po,  where 
Kuan  (fUlf),  Goddess  of  Mercy,  is  said  to  have 
lived  nine  years.  The  name  was  given  by  Marquis 
Shih  Lang  (Jj|  j{|$)  who  defeated  the  heirs  and 
successors  of  the  famous  Koxinga  (jij  ^  ^),  a 
Ming  General,  who  made  the  last  stand  for  the 
Mings  before  the  Manchus  in  1640  A.D. 

In  the  reign  of  K'ang-hsi  (about  1670),  when 
Marquis  Shih  Lang  returned  from  his  Formosan 
conquest,  he  dreamt  of  seeing  four  characters  Hui 
Jih  P'u  Chao  (j||  0  W  M)  meaning  "Sagacious 
Sun  Universally  Shines)."  After  his  dream,  he 
found  that  there  was  an  ancient  temple  named  P'u 
Chao  (-ilr  H)  meaning  "Universal  Shining)"  in 
Amoy.  When  he  visited  the  place,  he  found  the 
abbot  in  charge  was  an  old  monk  styled  Hui  Jih 
(sit  B  )  meaning  "Sagacious  Sun)."  He  was  great- 
ly pleased  with  his  conversation  with  the  monk. 
He  asked  him  why  he  had  not  a  better  temple,  and  the 
monk  replied  that  he  had  no  patron.  Whereupon, 
the  Marquis  volunteered  himself  as  patron  and  built 
this  new  temple.  He  gave  it  its  present  name, 
because  Amoy  is  south  of  Pu-To  (Ning-po),  the 
favourite  home  of  Kuan  Yin,  Goddess  of  Mercy. 

A  number  of  subsequent  enlargements  were 
made,  among  which  was  one  about  30  years  ago, 
when  Titai  P'eng  ($£)  and  Taotai  K'uei  (^)  raised 
over  $10,000  and  erected  the  present  reception  hall 
and  adjoining  rooms.  The  front  wall  and  the  stone 


290  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

reservoir  or  fish  pond  were  built  and  general  repairs 
were  made  when  the  American  Fleet  visited  Anioy, 
October,  1908. 

The  present  abbot  in  charge,  Hsi  Sing  (^  @:), 
is  said  to  have  made  a  number  of  reforms  in  the 
temple,  both  in  structure  and  ritual. 

As  one  enters  the  Temple,  he  will  notice  two 
gods  at  each  side — These  are  the  Four  Heavenly 
Kings  (H  5£  3£)  or  (H  ^C  ^  Rij ),  who  are  said 
to  guard  the  world  against  the  attack  of  evil  spirits. 
They  are  also  called  Guardian  Entrance  Gods. 

In  the  middle  is  the  Maitreya  Buddha(Ji  ff|  flfr), 
who  is  said  to  have  been  once  the  principal  god 
of  Buddhism.  He  is  sometimes  called  Passed 
Buddha. 

At  the  back  is  the  Wei  To  (:$:  P£),  who  has 
the  duty  of  a  Marshal  in  a  Buddhist  monastery. 
He  may  be  called  Van  God. 

GODS  IN  THE  CENTRAL  BUILDING. 

At  the  head  of  the  steps  is  the  Goddess  of 
Mercy  (H,  H  ^  &  ) 

The  marble  figures  represent. 

1.  Shakyamuni   Buddha    (%£  j&j  ^  Jg    or  #n 
2§£  i!8*)  wno  ^  the  principal  god  of  Buddhism  and 
is  now  in  charge  of  the  Central  World. 

2.  Vaidurpa  Buddha    (fj|   gfi   {&)    who  has 
charge  of  the  East  World.     He  is  also  known  as 
God  of  Healing. 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST         291 


3.     Maitrepa   Buddha  (ffi  ^  $&),  who  has  the 
charge  of  the  West  World. 

These  marble  figures  were  made  in  Rangoon 
and  were  presented  by  Chinese  merchants. 

IN  THE  SIDE  BUILDINGS. 

Within  the  glass  cases   are   the    18   personal 
disciples  of  Buddha. 

GODS  IN  THE  BACK  BUILDINGS. 

In  the  middle  — 

1.  Buddha  or  Shakyamuni  Buddha  (ps  jjp  £n 
2$£  fjjjj),  Principal  God. 

2.  Kasyapa  Buddha  ($R  j|  5£%),  the  sixth 
of  the  seven  Ancient  Buddhas. 

3.  Amida  Buddha  (M  fi  ^  %),  the  favorite 
Buddha  of  the  Chinese. 

4.  Ga-nan  Buddha  (fljjj  Jg  ^  ^). 

5.  Tat  Mu  Cho  Shih   (g  ff  ffl  BH),  a  god 
transferred  from  Taoism  to  Buddhism. 

On  the  sides  — 

On  the  right  is  the  God  of  the  Nether  World 


On  the  left  is  the  God  of  War 


292  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

RULES  OE  CONDUCT  FOR  RESIDENT  MONKS. 

i. — Those  who  deviate  from  the  principles  of 
Buddhism  (being  guilty  of  slaughter,  theft,  lewd- 
ness,  and  falsehood)  shall  be  expelled. 

2. — To  sit  in  meditation  requires  sincere 
consideration  and  real  reflection,  those  who  trifle 
with  "sitting  in  meditation,"  shall  be  expelled. 

3. — Those  who  play  in  crowds  without  the 
temple  or  idle  about  shall  be  punished,  and  if  they 
refuse  to  submit  to  punishment,  shall  be  expelled. 

4. — Those  who  use  meat  or  attend  a  theatre, 
shall  be  punished.  Unless  one  is  very  ill  and  finds 
it  absolutely  necessary,  wine  is  prohibited  but  in  all 
cases  permission  shall  first  be  obtained.  Those  who 
smoke  shall  be  punished. 

5. — Those  who  voluntarily  associate  with 
offenders  intending  to  harm  their  fellow-monks  or 
to  annoy  good  men  shall  be  expelled. 

6. — Those  who  quarrel,  fight,  or  use  bad 
language  among  themselves,  no  matter  for  what 
reason,  shall  be  expelled.  If  one  is  right  and 
patient  on  his  part  and  another  commits  a  crime 
and  continues  to  be  angry,  only  the  latter  shall  be 
expelled. 

7. — Those  who  sell  or  use  the  temple's  rice, 
wheat,  etc.,  without  obtaining  permission  from  the 
abbot,  shall  be  punished  and  expelled. 

8. — Those  who  appropriate  the  temple's  money 
or  goods  to  their  own  use,  or  give  the  temple's 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  293 

bamboo,  wood,  flowers,  or  fruits  as  presents  to 
mere  individuals,  shall,  after  making  good  the  loss, 
be  expelled. 

9. — Those  who  do  not  follow  others  in  their 
services  chanting  Canon  or  working  in  the  fields, 
shall  be  punished,  and,  if  they  refuse  to  submit  to 
punishment,  shall  be  expelled,  unless  they  are  ill  or 
on  official  business. 

10. — Those  who  stay  away  from  their  own 
quarters  and  idle  about  in  other  quarters,  except 
when  they  are  on  official  business,  shall  be  punish- 
ed; those  who  gamble  shall  be  heavily  punished; 
officers  who  neglect  to  report  the  same  shall  be 
similarly  punished. 

n. — The  temple's  Canon,  books  or  utensils 
shall  not  be  loaned  except-  when  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  and  the  necessity  is  made  known ;  those 
who  violate  this  rule  shall  be  punished. 

12. — Those  who  scorn  the  elders  or  the  virtuous 
people,  object  to  listen  to  upright  words,  or 
originate  slanders,  shall  be  expelled. 

13. — Those  who  disregard  the  government 
or  directions  of  the  officers  or  those  who  ask 
leave  before  the  expiration  of  the  term,  shall  be 
punished. 

14. — Those  who  receive  presents  from  visitors 
without  reporting  to  the  officers  shall  be  punished 
and  be  required  to  produce  the  presents  unless 
the  visitors  are  their  own  relatives  or  personal 
friends. 


294  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

15. — Those  who  wear  long  hair  and  a 
mustache,  shall  have  their  names  dropped  from  the 
roll ;  those  who  do  not  properly  dress  themselves  or 
who  do  not  tie  their  trousers  near  the  ankles  shall 
be  punished. 

1 6. — An  account  of  all  incomes  and  expenses 
shall  be  properly  kept  for  inspection  on  every  first 
and  every  fifteenth  day  of  the  moon;  those  who 
fail  to  enter  any  item  or  keep  proper  accounts  shall 
be  punished. 

17. — Those  who  incite  trouble  within  or  with- 
out shall  have  their  names  dropped  from  the  roll 
and  be  expelled  forever. 

1 8. — Those  who  guarantee  and  retain  great 
offenders  or  who  retain  boys  or  receive  private 
disciples  shall  be  expelled. 

(II)— "The  White  Stag."  Pai-loh-tong  (local 
dialect  Pe'h-lok-toiig).  At  this  temple  there  is  an 
image  of  a  stag  of  which  it  is  said,  it  once  was 
white.  There  are  no  indications  now  that  such  was 
the  fact.  You  will  also  be  told  that  this  lifeless 
piece  of  stone  was  "in  the  long  ago"  a  real  live 
stag,  and  that  it  was  changed  into  the  article  before 
your  eyes.  Believe  it  or  not,  you  will  not  disturb 
the  faith  of  the  native  custodian. 

(Ill)— "The  Ten  Thousand  Rock  Temple." 
"Wan  Shih  Yen"  (native  dialect  Ban  Sek  Giam), 
meaning  in  English  the  grotto  of  ten  thousand 
rocks,  is  situated  among  a  mass  of  enormous  rocks 
forty  and  fifty  feet  high.  Altogether  there  may  be 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  295 

ten  thousand,  big  and  little  thrown  up  in  huge  piles. 
From  this  temple  one  may  take  the  road  leading  up 
the  hill  and  turning  eastward  pass  down  through 
Helm  valley,  which  emerges  out  by  the  sea,  some- 
what below  Nan  P'u  T'o  Temple. 

(IV) — Just  above  this  temple  is  "The  Great 
Peace  Temple,"  Thai-Phin-Yen  (local  dialect  Thai- 
peng-giam;  a  very  unpretentious  building,  tho 
having  some  grotesquely  carved  stone  pillars. 
What  significance  there  may  be  in  the  name  of  the 
building  is  not  apparent,  except  that  nature  around 
everywhere  is  in  most  peaceful  repose. 

(V) — "Nu-Chi'i  Yen"  (native  dialect  H6 
Khau  Giant)  meaning  in  English,  tiger  stream  cliff 
or  grotto.  The  visitor  to  this  temple  should  take  a 
walk  through  the  Tiger's  mouth  made  by  the  over- 
lapping of  two  huge  boulders.  Nu-Chi'i  Yen  is 
located  to  the  east  of  White  Stag  Temple. 

One  of  the  interesting  features  of  Amoy  and 
vicinity  is  the  wonderful  rock  formation  everywhere 
in  evidence, — huge  boulders  weighing  hundreds  of 
tons  piled  up  or  thrown  up  together  in  all  kinds  of 
forms  and  shapes.  They  cover  the  hills  tumbled 
together  in  promiscuous  masses,  lifting  their  heads 
high  in  the  air.  A  walk  over  Amoy  Island  just  to 
study  these  old  rocks  is  well  worth  the  time  spent 
in  so  doing. 

So  far  as  all  these  temples  themselves  are  con- 
cerned, there  is  nothing  attractive  about  them.  All 
of  them  are  dirty  and  forsaken  looking  structures. 


296  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

They  are  not  kept  in  good  repair,  and  cannot 
compare  with  the  temples  of  Japan  in  any  respect, 
nor  even  with  the  temples  at  Kushan.  While  they 
cover  in  some  instances  considerable  space,  they  are 
alone  interesting  on  account  of  their  situation,  and 
quaintness.  With  the  exception  of  Lam  Pho-to 
only  a  priest  or  two  will  be  found ;  these  live  on  the 
contributions  of  visitors — there  are  not  a  few, 
as  these  places  are  the  picnicing  grounds  of  all 
foreigners  in  Amoy — and  the  "cash"  they  beg  and 
"squeeze"  out  of  the  people  for  the  devotions  and 
prayers  made  to  Buddha  in  behalf  of  a  suffering 
humanity. 

The  Rocking  Stone. — Not  far  from  these 
temples,  along  a  by-path,  there  was  a  wonderful 
stone  called  by  the  native  Hong-tong-chioh  i.e.,  "The 
wind  moving  (rocking)  stone."  A  single  boulder, 
forty  feet  long,  twenty  feet  high,  and  fifteen  feet 
thick,  weighing  hundreds  of  tons,  rested  on  the  very 
edge  of  another  rock  so  evenly  balanced  that  any  one 
could  set  it  rocking.  A  strong  wind  might  do  so. 

Alas,  the  Rocking  Stone  is  no  more.  This, 
one  of  the  most  interesting  curiosities  of  the  region, 
has  been  destroyed.  It  was  rocked  once  too  often 
and  landed  in  the  valley  below  the  rocks  where  it 
had  stood  for  ages  as  the  wonder  of  hundreds  of 
sightseers,  who  visited  the  place  annually. 

Early  in  the  year  1908  some  sailors  from  a 
German  warship  visited  the  place  and  naturally  set 
about  to  make  the  stone  rock.  They  succeeded  in 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  297 

getting  such  a  movement  on  it  that,  probably  before 
they  were  aware  of  the  danger,  the  stone  lay  on  its 
side  down  in  the  valley  below.  Fortunately  no  one 
was  hurt.  Had  it  fallen  over  on  the  other  side,  the 
case  might  have  been  different,  for  it  would  have 
crushed  to  atoms  the  small  hut  standing  there,  and 
quite  likely  the  people  who  lived  in  it.  The  Rock 
must  have  gone  down  with  tremendous  momentum, 
and  it  now  lies  a  long  distance  away  from  the  base 
on  which  it  stood. 

Bridges. — The  bridges  of  China  are  wonders ! 
On  some  of  them  people  build  their  temples  and 
houses  and  shops — where  they  live  and  carry  on 
their  business.  There  are  at  least  two  bridges  of 
this  kind  in  the  Amoy  district,  each  having  a 
population  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  inhabitants 
— perhaps  more.  These  bridges  are  generally  of 
wonderful  construction.  How  the  largest  of  them 
were  built  must  always  remain  a  matter  of  pure 
conjecture. 

Twenty-five  miles  west  of  Amoy  there  is  a 
famous  bridge,  the  date  of  the  construction  of 
which  no  man  living  knows ;  nor  just  how  it  was 
put  together.  There  are  natives  who  will  tell  you 
that  man  could  not  have  lifted,  by  any  imaginable 
machinery,  to  their  present  position  those  immense 
stones  of  which  it  is  made.  The  only  conclusion 
they  can  come  to  is,  the  gods  must  have  done  the 
work. 


298  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

The  bridge  is  called  "The  Po-lam  Bridge" — 
a  place  much  frequented  by  foreigners  residing  in 
Amoy.  It  is  200  yards  or  more  long,  built  upon 
solid  stone  piers  each  about  twelve  feet  high.  Some 
of  the  stones  laid  on  these  piers  are  of  great  length 
and  weight.  One  of  them  is  seventy  feet  long,  five 
feet  thick  and  four  feet  wide,  weighing  something 
like  107  tons.  It  always  has  been  a  question:  How 
were  they  put  in  place?  The  probability  is  that 
they  were  first  of  all  placed  on  floats  which  were 
then  raised  by  the  tides  when  the  river  was  in  flood 
in  the  spring  of  the  year.  In  this  way  they  were 
probably  placed  in  position. 

Not  far  eastward  from  the  city  of  Choan- 
chow  there  is  a  famous  bridge  at  a  place  called 
Loh-iu  (yfJlBaf)  having  a  strange  history,  which  will 
bear  repeating. 

The  bridge  was  built  in  the  time  of  the  Sung 
dynasty  (A.D.  1027),  of  massive  pieces  of  stone 
laid  upon  120  piers  of  solid  masonry  each  40  feet 
high  and  supported  by  strong  buttresses  on  the 
north  side.  The  whole  length  is  3,600  feet,  and 
15  feet  wide.  From  the  inscriptions  on  the  two 
slabs  that  stand  at  the  entrance  we  learn  among 
other  things  that  the  bridge  cost  fourteen  million 
cash. 

The  structure  crosses  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  where 
the  rising  tide  comes  rushing  in,  covering  the  place 
to  a  considerable  depth.  At  such  times  the  traveller 
was  obliged  in  former  days  either  to  go  around  the 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  299 

bay,  which  took  him  far  out  of  his  way,  or  be 
ferried  over  by  small  open  native  craft.  This 
latter  process  was  more  or  less  dangerous  as  sudden 
squalls,  caused  by  evil  spirits  which  dwelt  in  the 
hills  near  by,  swept  down  frequently,  sometimes 
sending  the  passengers  to  a  watery  grave. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  squalls  that  a  very 
remarkable  thing  happened,  which  led  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  bridge.  At  this  particular  time,  while  a 
large  boat  load  of  passengers  was  being  ferried 
across,  a  storm  came  down  upon  them  in  wildest 
fury.  Just  when  all  hope  was  about  to  be 
abandoned  of  ever  reaching  the  shore  a  voice  rang 
out  above  the  storm  commanding  one  named 
Chhah  (£|)  to  build  a  bridge  across  this  dangerous 
point  of  the  sea.  They  were  soon  after  all  safely 
landed.  It  was  discovered  later  that  there  was  but 
one  person  by  the  name  of  Chhah  living  in  that 
neighborhood.  It  was  also  learned  that  he  had  only 
just  married,  and  that  it  had  been  revealed  to  his 
wife  in  some  mysterious  manner  that  she  would  be 
the  mother  of  the  man  who  was  to  build  the  bridge. 

In  due  time  the  child  was  born  who  was 
named  Chhah  Siang  (££H)  and  grew  up  a  pre- 
cocious youth.  In  his  young  manhood  he  became 
a  mandarin.  His  mother  took  pains  to  tell  him  of 
what  had  occurred  in  the  storm,  of  what  had  been 
revealed  to  her  years  before,  and  what  his  mission 
therefore  in  life  might  be  expected  to  be.  Young 
Chhah  became  deeply  impressed  and  took  steps  at 


300  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

once  to  secure  an  appointment  as  mandarin  in  his 
native  prefecture  that  he  might  undertake  his 
appointed  task.  He  knew  it  was  against  all  custom 
and  law  for  one  to  be  appointed  to  office  in  his  own 
district,  he  was  therefore  not  a  little  puzzled  to 
know  how  this  desire  of  his  was  to  be  brought 
about.  But  fortune  often  favors  those  who  are  in 
earnest  and  in  course  of  time  circumstances  brought 
our  friend  Chhah  to  the  palace  of  the  Emperor, 
where  he  hit  upon  a  novel  as  well  as  bold  idea  to 
accomplish  his  wish. 

One  day  while  walking  in  the  Imperial  grounds 
he  took  a  pot  of  honey  and  wrote  on  a  tree  this 
sentence  : — "  Chhah  Siang  the  learned,  be  magistrate 
in  your  native  prefectural  city."  *  Sometime 
after  the  Emperor  came  walking  along,  and  what 
his  surprise  was  can  only  be  imagined  when  he 
saw  this  sentence  now  emblazoned  on  a  tree  in 
living  characters  of  armies  of  black  ants  that  were 
feeding  on  the  honey.  His  surprise  found  expres- 
sion as  he  read  out  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice :  Chhah 
Siang  the  learned,  be  magistrate  in  your  native 
prefectural  city.  Mr.  Chhah  was  conveniently 
near  at  hand,  and  at  the  same  time  innocently 
enough  took  the  words  of  the  Emperor  as  an 
appointment  to  the  office  he  so  much  desired,  and 
proceeded  without  delay  to  thank  his  sovereign 
for  the  great  honor  he  had  conferred  on  him.  Tho 
the  Emperor  protested  that  that  was  not  at  all  his 

*  Everyday  Life  in  China. 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST  301 

meaning — that  be  was  merely  reading  the  sentence 
which  the  ants  had  written  (which  by  the  way 
Chhah  had  taken  good  pains  to  bring  about,  having 
carefully  selected  a  tree  with  an  ant  nest  at  the 
base) — he  held  his  majesty  to  the  words  as  his 
intention  to  appoint  him  to  this  office.  Finally  the 
Emperor  yielded  and  Chhah  received  his  appoint- 
ment as  prefect  in  his  native  prefectural  city  of 
Choan-chow. 

He  began  at  once  making  preparation  for 
building  the  bridge.  His  greatest  task  was  in 
laying  the  foundations  for  the  central  piers  as  in 
that  particular  spot  the  rushing  current  never  ceases 
its  flow  and  ebb.  How  to  sink  the-  foundations 
there  puzzled  Chhah  Siang  for  many  a  day,  when  it 
occurred  to  him  to  write  to  Neptune  on  the  subject, 
asking  him  to  be  kind  enough  to  keep  the  waters 
back  from  the  place  for  one  brief  day,  and  to  be  so 
accommodating  as  to  mention  the  date  when  that 
would  occur.  Then  the  question  arose  who  was  to 
take  this  letter  to  old  Neptune.  In  answer  it  was 
discovered  that  there  was  a  man  liVing  near  by 
whose  name  was  "Able  to  Descend  into  the  Sea." 
This  man  was  pressed  into  service  and  like  a  bold 
knight  he  set  out  to  fulfil  his  mission,  by  laying 
himself  down  in  a  comfortable  and  dry  spot  where 
he  proposed  to  stay  until  the  incoming  tides  covered 
him,  when  he  would  communicate  with  the  god  of 
the  waters.  While  he  was  waiting  he  fell  asleep. 
How  long  he  slept  will  never  be  known,  but  when 
he  awoke  he  found  the  letter  gone  and  another 


3o2  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

addressed  to  Chhah  Siang,  tho  he  was  in  the  same 
spot  that  he  was  when  he  went  to  sleep.  The  letter 
was  delivered  to  Chhah  Siang.  It  contained  but  a 
single  character  <$j  (vinegar).  It  was  indeed  as  gall 
and  vinegar  to  receive  such  a  message,  for  whatever 
could  it  mean !  Struggle  as  he  might  with  it, 
search  his  brain  hard  and  long,  he  could  make  no 
sense  out  of  it.  Finally  he  began  to  break  up  the 
character  into  its  different  component  parts,  and 
thereby  he  solved  the  problem  and  received  his 
answer  from  old  Neptune.  The  reply  was  that  at 
evening  on  the  2ist  of  the  month  the  waters  would 
be  stayed.  Thus :  H  -f~  —  H  Hi  These  directions 
were  followed,  the  foundations  successfully  sunk 
and  in  due  time  the  building  of  the  wonderful  bridge 
completed. 

On  the  following  page  is  an  inscription  which 
is  written  on  two  stone  slabs  already  mentioned.  A 
fuller  and  more  detailed  account  of  this  bridge  may 
be  found  in  "Everyday  Life  in  China,"  by  E.  J. 
Dukes. 

Everywhere  along  the  roads  in  China  you  will 
notice  richly  carved  and  beauti  fully  decorated  stone 
memorial  arches.  These  have  been  erected  by 
relatives  (after  obtaining  Government  consent)  to 
commemorate  some  virtue  or  deed  of  a  departed 
man  or  woman  or  some  political  event,  e.g.,  there 
is  one  near  the  railroad  Station  at  Seng-su,  which 
commemorates  the  life  of  a  woman  who  always 
remained  a  widow  after  the  death  of  her  husband. 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST 


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304  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Among  the  many  that  stand  by  the  wayside  in 
the  neigbourhood  of  Amoy  city,  there  is  one  that 
deserves  particular  mention.  It  is  the  largest  one 
hereabouts,  standing  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high, 
and  it  bears  some  very  beautiful  bas  relief  carvings. 
In  addition  to  these  there  are  rows  of  foreign 
figures  exquisitely  done,  some  standing  and  others 
in  a  kneeling  position.  These  can  be  seen  with 
a  magnifying  glass. 

The  whole  is  said  to  commemorate  the  valor 
anU  virtue  of  the  man  who  succeeded  in  the 
expulsion  of  the  Dutch  from  these  parts. 


AMOY  BUSINESS  DIRECTORY.— 191 1 

BANKS. 

BANK  OF  TAIWAN, 


Tai-oan  gun  hung, 

K.  Tsudzurabara,  Manager. 
BANK  OF  COMMUNICATIONS, 

&»*fr 

Kau-thong  gun-hang, 
Chartered    Bank    of    India    Australia    and   China. 

Tait  &  Co.  Agents. 
HONGKONG   AND    SHANGHAI    BANKING    CORPORATION 


Hoe-hong  gun  hang, 

W.  H.  Wallace,  Manager. 

International   Banking    Corporation.      Tait  &   Co. 
Agents. 

Merchantile  Bank  of  India.      Boyd  &  Co.  Agents. 
National  Bank  of  China.      Pasadag  &  Co.  Agents, 
Nederlands    Indische  Haudels  Bank.      Tait  &  Co. 
Agents. 

TA-CHING  GOVERNMENT  BANK, 

*»*fT 

Tai-Chheng  gun-hang, 

CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE. 

FOREIGN  AND  NATIVE, 

m  rajs  $ 

It-mng  Siong-hoe, 
CLUBS  AND  ORGANIZATIONS. 

AMOY  CLUB, 


Kiu-keng. 


306  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

AMOY  CUSTOMS  CLUB, 


Hiong-koan  kiu-lau. 
AMOY  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
KULANGSO  LAWN  TENNIS  AND  CRICKET  CLUB, 

m&t&m$i 

Kolongsu  Km-po'. 
MASONIC  LODGES, 
JEitB£ 

Cheng-to  in 

Amoy  Chapter  No.  1806  E-  C. 

Corinthian  Lodge  No  1806  E.  C. 
MERCHANT  SERVICE  GUILD. 
MUNICIPAL  COUNCIL, 

X  Tf$  /U 

Kong-po'-kek. 

UNION  CHURCH, 


Ang-nifig  Le-pai-tng. 
COLLEGES  AND  SCHOOLS. 

ANGLO  CHINESE  COLLEGE, 


Eng-hoa  6h-tng. 

Air.  H.  F.  Rankin,  Principal. 
CHHAN-BE  GIRLS  SCHOOL, 


Chhan-be  Lu-6h  tng. 

Miss  M.  E.  Talmage,  Principal. 

CHARLLOTE  W.  DURYEE  WOMEN'S  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 
EH  t&  w  ^F  's. 

Chhan-be  H5-6h  tng. 

Miss  K.  M.  Talmage,  Principal. 


AMOY  BUSINESS  DIRECTORY       307 
GIRLS  HIGH  SCHOOL, 

*  *  #  #  £ 

Ko-teng  Lu-6h  tng. 

Miss  E.  R-  Carling,   Principal. 
6-TE-TioNG  GIRLS  SCHOOL, 

tt  ft  *  &  *  £ 

O'-te-tiong  Lu*-6h  tng. 

Miss  M.  B.  MacGregor,  Principal. 
TUNG-WEN  INSTITUTE, 


Tong-Bun  Chu-i. 

Mr.  C.  J.  Weed,  Principal. 
UNION  MIDDLE  SCHOOL, 


Sini-goan  Tiong-6h  tfig. 

Rev.  P.  W.  Pitcher,  Principal. 
UNION  THEOLOGICAL  COLLEGE, 


Hoe-Ian  Seng-to  Chu-i'1. 

Rev.  Jas,  Beattie,    Principal. 

CONSULATES. 

BELGIUM, 


Pi-kok  Leng-su. 

W.  Wilson,  Consul. 
DENMARK, 


Tan-kok   Leng-su. 

Chas.  Lee,  Consul. 
FRANCE, 


Hoat-kok  Leng-su 

C.  Lecomte,  Vice  Consul. 


308  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

GERMANY, 


Tai  Tek-kok  Leng-su 

Dr.  C.  Merz,   Consul, 
GREAT  BRITAIN, 


Tai  Eng-kok  Leng-su. 

A.  J.  Sundius,  Consul. 
JAPAN, 

*  0  x£  ^  ffi  -^ 

Tai  Jit-p^n  kok  Leug-su. 

G.  Kikutscbi,  Consul. 
NETHERLANDS, 


H6-kok 

W.  Kruse,  Consul. 
UNITED  STATES  AMERICA, 

Tai  Bt-kok  Leng-su. 

J.  H.  Arnold,  Consul. 

CUSTOMS,   IMPERIAL  MARITIME. 


E-rang  Hai-koan, 

W.  R.  McD.  Parr,  Commissioner. 

DOCK  AND  ENGINERING  COS, 

AMOY  DOCK  Co, 

-4-     6*.     Lfr 

x  m  tj} 

Tai-chun-u. 
AMOY  ENGINEERING  ELECTRICAL  A.GENCY, 

«**«:ii«;jiiiT 

Ki-khl  Kap  tian-khi  Tai-h-bang. 


DRUGGISTS  AND  CHEMISTS. 

A.  S.  WATSON  &  Co, 

m  E  J5*HII 

Khut-sin  Si  toa-ioh  pang. 
WHITFIELD  &  Co, 


Chu-li  Toa-ioh  pang, 
FUKIEN  DRUG  Co. 

m&MM 

Hok-kien  ioh  pang. 
HABERDASHERY 

Fukien  Drug  Co. 

HOSPITALS. 

COMMUNITY  HOSPITAL, 


Ti-sek-khut  i-koan. 

Dr.  H.  MacDougal. 
HOPE  HOSPITAL, 

H6-a-e  Lain  i-koan. 

Dr.  A.  Bonthius. 
TEK-CHHIU-KIA  DISPENSARY, 

«•  m  m  ft  & 

Tek-chhiu-klia  i-koan, 
Dr.  A.  Bonthius. 

WlLHELMINA  HOSPITAL, 

ffi  fF  ~f  "&  f^  ^& 

H6-a-e  Lu  i-koan, 

Dr.  A.  Bonthius. 

HOTELS. 

VICTORIA  HOTEL.  C.  A.  Mutton,  Proprietor. 

SEA  VIEW  HOTEL.  J.  A.  Merlin,  Proprietor. 

INSURANCE  COS. 

FIRE,  LIFE  AND  MARINE  INSURANCE  AGENCIES. 


310  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

MANUFACTURERS. 

AERATED  WATER  &  ICE  Co, 

A.  S.  Watson  &  Co. 
AMOY  TINING  Co, 

?$U  ffc  ^  W:  &  T% 

T6-hoa  iu-han  kong  si. 

CANTON  AND  FUKIEN  GLASS  FACTORY, 

8t  &  g  $t  ft  £ 

Kong  Kian  Chhiong. 

MERCANTILE  FIRMS. 

ASIATIC  PETROLEUM  Co, 

A-Se-a  he-iu  kong-si. 
BOYD  &  Co, 

H6-kee. 

BUTTERFIELD  &  SWIRE, 

Thai-ko.' 
CHINA  MERCHANTS, 

ftWJBit-Hft.il 

Po-sioug-kek  lun-cliun  kong  si. 
DAUYER  &  Co, 

Ju-kee. 
DOUGLAS  LAPRAIK  &  Co, 

Tek-kee-lee-su. 
JARDIXE,  MATHESON  &  Co, 

'  Gi-ho. 


AMOY  BUSINESS  DIRECTORY       311 

MELCAMPO  &  Co, 
*« 

Sui-kee. 

MITSUI  BUSHAN  KAISHA, 
H# 

Sam-cheng. 
OLLIA  &  Co, 

£te 

An-kee. 
OSAKA  SHOSEN  KAISHA, 

*m 

Tai-pan. 
PASADAG  &  Co, 

Sf  IB 

Po-kee. 

STANDARD  OIL  Co, 


Sam -tat. 
TAIT  &  Co, 

Tek-kee. 

MISSIONS. 

ENGLISH  PRESBYTERIAN. 

Tai-eng  Tiong-lo-kau. 
LONDON  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY, 

Chu-ifi-kau. 
REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA, 

Bi-kok  Kui-cheng-kihi. 
ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH, 

Thian  Chu  kau. 


312  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

SEVENTH  DAY  ADVENTISTS, 


. 

Au-hioh-jit  hoe. 
Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Chheng-lian  hoe. 

POST  OFFICES. 

GREAT  BRITAIN, 

*nn& 

Tai-eng  phoe-koan. 
GERMANY, 

-I-    ffa     *K      f=» 

XV  TS&  &fl  /fU 

Tai-tek  phoe-koan. 
FRANCE, 

:*&i&;i 

Tai-Hoat  Phoe-ko5n. 
JAPAN, 

*   0  ^^5^ 

Tai  j't-ptin  phoe-koan. 
IMPERIAL  CHINESE  POST  OFFICE, 

*  m  »  ^  « 

lu-cherg  kek. 

PRESSES. 

FUKIEN  PRINTING  Co, 

mm  ft  ¥  & 

Hok-kien  in-ji-koan. 
MANSHING  PRINTING  Co, 

m  «  PP  ^  « 

Ban-seng  in-ji-koan. 
NATIVE  PRESSES, 


AMOY  BUSINESS  DIRECTORY      313 

STEAMSHIP  LINES. 

' '  BANK  ' '  LINE  OF  STEAMERS. 

CHINA  &  MANILA  S/S  Co. 

CHINA  MERCHANTS  S/S  Co. 

CHINA  MUTUAL  S/S  Co. 

CHINA  NAVIGATION  Co. 

DOUGLAS  S/S  Co. 

GLEN  LINE  S/S  Co. 

INDIA  LINE  OF  STEAMERS. 

INDO-CHINESE  STEAM  NAVIGATION  Co, 

JAVA-CHINA-JAPAN  LINE. 

OCEAN  A  S/S  Co. 

SHAN  LINE. 

SHIRE  LINE- 

AGENCIES. 

Canadian  Pacific  S/S  Co. 
Hamburg-America  Line. 
Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha. 
Norddeutscher  Lloyd. 
Pacific  Mail  S/S  Co. 
Toyo  Kisen   Kaisha. 

RAILROADS. 

FUKIEN  RAILROAD, 

mmm^m^ 

Amoy-Chiang-chow  Branch. 

STORES 

THOMSEN  &  Co, 

mm  & 

Sin  Li-kee. 
CENTRAL  STORE, 

3.mftm 

Chvl-lee-chan 
P.  Ah-kow  &  son. 


3  14  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

TELEGRAPH  COS. 

IMPERIAL  CHINESE, 

*  m  *  *  ft 

Tai  Chheng  tian-po  kek. 
GREAT  NORTHERN  TELEGRAPH  Co, 

*5it**:«#ft_ 

Tai-to«g  tai-pak  tian-po  kek. 
FRENCH  TELEGRAPH  Co, 


Hoat-kok  tian-po  kek. 
TELEPHONE  Co, 


H-mftg  tian-oe  koiig-si. 
BIBLE  AND  TRACT  SOCIETIES. 

BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  BIBLE  SOCIETY, 


Tai  Eng  Seng  chliek   kong-lioe. 
NATIONAL  BIBLE  SOCIETY  OF  SCOTLAND, 


Seng-keng  hoe. 
SOUTH  FUKIEN  RELIGIOUS   TRACT   SOCIETY, 


Ban-lam  Seng-kau  su-kek. 


«! 
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MAP  OF  KOLONGSU 


321 


Map  of  Kolongsu. 

Showing  Roads  and  Streets,  1908. 

1.  French  Consulate.      Residence. 

2.  Butterfield  &  Swire.      Residence. 

3.  British  Consulate.      Residence. 

4.  Tait  &  Co.      Residence. 

5.  Telegraph  Office. 

6.  7.  9-  American  Refd.  Church  Mission.     Residences. 
8.   25.  27.  London  Mission.      Residence. 

10.  Commissioner  of  Customs.      Residence. 

11.  Community  Physician's  Residence. 

12.  Union  Middle  School. 


322  MAP  OF  KOLONOSU 

13.  Amoy  Club. 

14.  Fukien  Drug  Co. 

15.  Union  Church. 

16.  Japanese  Consulate.      Residence. 

17.  German  Consulate. 

18.  19.      Hotels. 

20.  British  Consulate. 

21.  22,  23,  Drug-stores. 

24.  German  Consulate.      Residence. 

26.  Douglas  Memorial  Church. 

28.  Municipal  Council  Building. 

29.  31,  32.  E.  P.  Mission.      Residences. 

30.  Theological  College. 

33.  Anglo-Chinese  College. 

34.  35.  Boyd  &  Co.      Residence. 

36.  Bank  House,      Residence. 

37.  U.  S.  Consulate.      Residence. 

38.  Hope  &  Wilhelmina  Hospitals. 

39.  Amoy  Engineering  Co. 

40.  Sin-law-tau.      Jetty. 

41.  Se-a-law-tau.      Jetty. 

42.  Ling-tau.      Jetty. 

43.  Ho-ki-law-tau.      Jetty. 

44.  Chha-khu-chhan.      Jetty. 

45.  U.  S.  Consulate.      Jetty. 

46.  Ho-a-e-law-tau.      Jetty. 

47.  Chong-chun-law-tau.      Jetty. 
48-  Hope  Hospital.      Jetty. 

•$  Signal  station. 

t  Camel  Rock. 

Jg:  Drum  Wave  Rock. 

(a)  Time  Gun. 

(6)  Wellington's  Nose. 

(c)  Druid  Head. 

(X)  Anson  Bluff. 


*AREA  AND  POPULATION  OF  CHINA. 

(i)  THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE. 

362,310  sq.  ms.  14,000,000  popluation, 
,,        2,000,000 
,,        6,000,000 
,,  600,000 

,,  580,000 

»  383,245,000 

4,194,888  406,425,000 

Average  ratio  to  square  mile  321.     In  Great  Britian  317; 
in  United  States  20  ;  in  France  140 ;  in  Germany  240. 

(2)  THE  EIGHTEEN  PROVINCES. 


Manchuria 

362,310 

Mongolia 

1,288,000 

Tibet 

651,500 

Sungaria 

M7.950 

Eastern  Turkestan 

431,800 

Eighteen  Provinces 

1,313.328 

ENGLISH  NAME. 

SQ.  MILKS. 

POPULA- 
TION. 

RATIO 
TO  SQ. 

MILE. 

Nganhwui 

Peace  Favor 

48,461 

20,596,000 

435 

Chekiang 

Che  River 

39,150 

11,588,000 

296 

Fukien  .  . 
Honan    .   . 

Established  Happiness 
•South  River 

3&,5°o 
66,913 

22,190,000 
22,115,000 

574 
340 

Hunan  .  . 

South  I«ake 

74.320 

21,002,000 

281 

Hupeh   .  . 

North  Lake 

70,45° 

34,244,000 

485 

Kau-su  .   . 

Sweet,  Sedate 

"5,450 

9,285,000 

74 

Kiangsi     . 

West  River 

72,176 

24,534,000 

340 

Kiangsu.  . 

River  Su 

44,500 

20,905,000 

470 

Kwangsi. 

Broad  West 

78,250 

5,151,000 

65 

Kwangtung 
Kweichow 

Broad  East 
Noble  Tract 

79.456 
64,554 

29,706,000 
7,669,000 

377 
118 

Chili   .   .   . 

Direct  Rule 

58,949 

»7.937,ooo 

304 

Szechuen  . 

Four  Streams 

166,800 

67,712,000 

406 

Shansi   .   . 

Western  Mountain 

56,268 

12,211,000 

221 

Shantung  . 

Eastern  Mountain 

53,762 

36,247,000 

557 

Shensi   .  . 

West  Shen 

67,400 

8,432,000 

126 

Yunnan.   . 

Cloudy  South 

107,969 

12,721,000 

io3 

1,313.328 

383,245,000 

*  Daily  Mail  Commercial  Map  of  China. 
"China  In  Decay,"   gives  4,218,401   sq.  ms.  409,180,000 
population. 


324 


IN  AND  ABOUT  AA1OY 


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Domestic  Missionary  So 

No  of  ordained  pastors  
,  ,  unordained  preachers  .  . 
,  ,  organized  churches  .  . 
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STATISTICS 


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,  day  schools  

,  pupils  
,  Middle  Schools  (Un 
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,  native  teachers  (Uni 

foreign  ,,  ,, 
Theological  Colleges 
students  
native  teachers  
foreign  teachers 
Women's  schools  .  .  . 
scholars  

native  teachers  
foreign  teachers.  .  .  . 
Girls  Schools  
scholars  
native  teachers  
foreign  teachers 
hospitals,  Mission  .  . 
hospitals,  Communit 
contributions,  Native 

o    -   -  -  - 
o  .  -  *  . 

fc  -  -  -  - 

330  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Domestic  Missionary  Society  in  1885. 

No  of  ordained  pastors  ................... 

unordaiued  preachers  .............. 

organized  churches  .................. 

preaching  places  ................ 

day-schools  .................   •  • 

teachers  ..................  , 


Contributions 


rpl  .-* 

Tls>  120° 


INDEX. 

Abeel.  Rev.  David  69. 

Agriculture  141  143. 

American   Battleship  Fleet.     Visit  of   48;   Chinese   Reception 

Committee  51;  Preparation  for  entertainment  53;  Illumina- 
tions 56;  Cost  of  entertainment  53,54,57;  Prizes  awarded  55; 

A  Loving  Cup  presented  55;  Inscription    commemorating 

the  event,  60. 
American   Commercial  Commission.     Visit  of  62;   Inscription 

commemorating  the  visit  65. 
American  Reformed  Church  Mission  33,229. 
Amoy  Business  Directory.  305. 
Amoy,  Meaning  of  the  word  14.  History  21;  Harbor  14,51.  Map 

of  harbor. 
Amoy  district.    Area    5.     Character    of    people   79,81,87,90; 

Scholarship  84;  Classes  92,95;  Emigration   159;   Industries 

143;  Language  171;  Map  Political  divisions  10;  Population 

5,10,15.81;  Cities  11,12,22. 
Amoy  Island.     Area   1,13;  Names   13;  First  notices  of  22;  Map 

Geographical  location  13;  Physical  features  6;  Population 

15;  Topography  6,13,14. 
Amoy  City.   13.15,16;  Captured    23,27,28;    Commerce  213,214; 

Chamber  of  Commerce    164;    Location    15;    Opened    69; 

Population  15;  Original  City  16. 
Amoy  as  a  Commercial  Center  213. 
Amoy  as  a  center  of  Missionary  Endeavor  229. 
Amoy  Dispensary,  The  first  243. 
Amoy  Dock  Co.,  214,  308. 
Ancestral  Worship  12,21,26;  History  and  Influence  of  126,129; 

Cost  122. 

Ancestral  Tablets  122,129;  The  basis  of  the  system.  137. 
An-hai  6. 
An-khoe  6. 
Animals  142,156. 
Arabia.     Trade  with  21, 
Area  of  China  323. 
Arches  i. 
Aristocracy  92. 
Arnold.  J.  H.  Consul  53,56. 
Artesian  well  260, 
Asiatic  Petroleum  Co.  215. 
Assembly.     Provincial.  85. 

Banks  143. 

Banyan  154. 

Bantam  Pink.     Arrival  of  46. 


332  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Boone.  Rev.  Wm.  J.  230,236. 

Bamboo  142. 

Baptisms.     First  232. 

Beggars  17,19. 

Big  Hat  Mountain  9. 

Binding  feet  91. 

Birds  156. 

Boats  269;  Boat  population  274. 

Boxer  Movement.  The  30;  Causes  of  34;     Its  effects  in  Amoy 

32;  Settlement;  Threatened  mutiny  of  the  Amoy  soldiers. 
Boyd  &  Co.,  214,  310 
Blind.     The  18. 

Blonde.     H.  M.  S.  72;  Edict  published  upon  its  arrival  72. 
Bridgetnan.  Rev.  E.  C.  69. 

British  Fleet.  Arrival  of  48,72;  Imperial  edict  72;  Ultimatum  74. 
Bridges  297. 
Buccaneers  22,23. 
Business  Directory  305. 
Burgevine.     Gen.  22.29. 
Burden  Bearers  17. 
Butterfield  and  Swire  214. 

Cabinet,  National  85. 

Camel  Rock  252. 

Canton.  47,77. 

Canning  Factory  157. 

Caste  92. 

Cantine  U.  S.  S.  263. 

Cattle  142. 

Catty  151. 

Caves  257. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  143. 

Chapel  Island  43. 

China.  Population;  Political  Divisions.  323. 

Chinese.  The  81. 

Chinese  Abroad.  The  160. 

Chinese  Christians.  The  96. 

Chinese  Characteristics. 

Chinese  Repository.     Notes  from,  339. 

Chinese  Scholarship  84.  Adoption  of  Western  methods  86. 

Chinese  Inns. 

Chhi-su  5. 

Chioh-be  6. 

Chiu.  A  5. 

Chuan-chow  21.22. 

Chang-chow  21,21,27,28,33.103. 

Chang-pu  27. 

Chioh-chi  25. 

Church  organizations  238;  Church  building  232. 


INDEX  333 

Church  Union  240. 

Clans  99,150,162;  Government  of  villages  99,100;  Peculiar  to 
Fukien  and  Kwangtnug  Provinces  101;  Baneful  effects 
103;  Causes  of  104;  115;  Church  work  affected  106,108,121; 
How  dealt  with  by  the  Government  109,116;  Substitutes 
for  trial  113;  Professional  Fighters  114,117,  Barbarous 
treatment  of  enemies  116. 

Classes  92. 

Climate  6. 

Converts.     First  232. 

Coolies  18.162. 

Commissioner  of  Highways  267. 

Coal  156. 

Concession  of  Kulangsu  258. 

Congregational  Union  239. 

Commerce  25,324,327. 

Commercial  Center  213. 

Consulates  307. 

Constitutional  government  85. 

Cotton  Industry  142. 

Cowper,  Major  77. 

Cumming.  Dr.  W.  H.  243,199. 

Curios  158. 

Customs  House  226;  Native  Customs  226;  Foreign  Customs  225; 
History  225.  Imports  219,222;  Exports  218. 

Currency.  221;  Different  kinds  of  Coin  in  circulation  221. 

DePree.  Rev.  H.  P. 

Dialect,  Number  of  176,190,203,204. 

Disinfecting  Plants  214. 

Diet  91. 

Distances  from  Amoy  284. 

Dodd  Island  43. 

Domestic  Affairs  21. 

Domestic  Animals  142. 

Donglas  Lapraik  &  Co.     310. 

Donglas,  L.  L.  D.  Rev.  Carstairs  254,210,253. 

Dragon  River.  The  6. 

Dutch  The,  In  Amoy  25524;  Factory  built  45. 

East   Indian    Company,   The    46,70;    Factory  built    46,67,70, 

Early  Traders  43 

Edict  published  npon  the  arrival  of  the  "Blonde"  72. 
Educational  Work  84,86,240. 
Eighteen  Provinces  23.  323. 
Elliot.  Charles  71. 
Emigration  159;  Cause  165,167;  Restrictions  163;  British 

Subjects  164;  Recruiting  164;  Inducements  167;  Benefits 

115-168;  Servant  problem  167 
English.  Arrival  of  46. 


334  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

English  Presbterian  Mission  235 

Eng-chhun  6,11. 

Exports  and  Re-exports  218,223. 

Errata. 

Factories  45,46,158. 

Face.  Losing  89. 

Fanners.  The  40.  Farms  and  Farmers  14,143.  Fauna  153. 

Feast  of  Tombs  123. 

Filial  Piety  128. 

Finance  221 

Firms  213,310 

Firat  English  Trading  Vessel  46. 

First  Ports  opened  77. 

First  Protestant  Church,  232;  Picture  of;  First  baptisms  232 

First  converts  232. 
Flora  153. 
Footbinding  91. 
Foreign  Relations  42. 
Foreign  in  Amoy  and  region 
Forests  153. 
Formosa  Channels. 
Frost  9. 
Fruits  142,152. 

Fukien  96;  Political  Divisions  10. 
Fung-shuy  36. 
Fu.  A  5- 
Furniturc  93. 

Game  156 

Gaw-thong  22,29. 

Glass  Factory  158. 

Go-bu  43,  Gordon.  Gen.  29. 

Gospel  Boats  273 

Gough.  Major  General  65,76. 

Graves  36. 

Guilds  26. 

Gutzlaff.  Rev.  Charles  26 

Haberdashery  309 
Hakkas  79. 

Haklos  81,  History  of  Amoy  21. 
Hepburn,  Dr.  237. 
Homes  19,93,94. 
House  Boats  273 
Hospitals  244,246,309. 
Hotels  309 
Hui-an  12 
Hu.  A  5. 
Humidity  8. 
• 


INDEX  335 

India.  Trade  with  21. 

Ideograhs.  Chinese  177, 188;  Number  of  189;  Clasbes  191 ;  Styles 

194. 

Idols  19,27. 
Imports  219,224. 
Infanticide  91. 
Industries  143 
Inns  276. 

Inspector  General  of  Customs.  The  first 
Inscription  on  Camel  Rock  252. 
Insurrections  27,28. 
International  Foreign  Settlement  258. 
Islands  5,119. 
Isis.  H.  M.  S.  263. 

Japanese  Scare  262 
Jardine  Matheson  and  Co  214 
Johnson.  A.  B.  Consul  263. 
Junks  24,44. 

Kolongsu  24,77.  Meaning  of  the  name  251 ;  Map  321. 
Kolongsu  Residences  and  Public  Buildings  255 
Ko-kia  24. 
Koxinga  13,23,44. 
Kruse.  Mr.  W.  259 
Kublai  Khan  22. 
Kuliang  9. 
Kwang-su  31. 

Laboring  Classes  95.  Lace  Guild  158. 

Lam-tai-bu  119. 

Lam-pho-to  59,288 

Language.  Chinese  The  171 ;  Antiquity,  Literature,  Range  of 
Topics  171 ;  Difficulties  in  acquiring  175  ;  General  Catalogue 
171  ;numbers  usingi73  ;RemarkableFeatures,i72,i73,i72,i73. 
Spoken  i76,NotMonysyllabic  176;  Accuracy  183  ;  Aspirates 
179;  Diversity  147  ;  Classifiers  184;  Dialects  202;  Grammar 
186;  Nasals  182;  Sounds  177. 

Written  175;  Only  medium  of  communication  175;  Clas- 
sification 189;  Number  of  ideographs  177,189;  Origin  189; 
Radical  189;  Use  of  Synoyms  183;  Different  styles  of  char- 
acter or  ideographs  194;  the  Verb,  185;  Three  reasons  for 
acquiring  the  Chinese  Language  199. 

Latitude  and  Longitude  of  Amoy  5,6,15,16. 

Lau  95. 

Launches  270 

Lawsuits  37. 

Lay.  Horatio  Nelson  225 

LeGendre.  Gen.  247,256 


336  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Leng-na  6.L,e-su  5. 

Lian-chau  Tragedy  31. 

Lighthouses  43. 

Little  Knife  Insurrection  27. 

Literature.  Chinese  171 

London  Missionary  Society  234. 

Long-haired  Rebels  26 ;  at  Changchow  28 ;   Foreigners  enlisted 

29 ;  Visit  of  Rebel  Chief  to  Ainoy  30. 
Losing  Face  89. 

Macao  70. 

Macleish,  Dr.  A.  L.  244. 

MacGown,  Rev.  J. 

Marco  Polo  22. 

Manufactured  Articles  157. 

Manufactories  310. 

Manila  2. 

Medical  Work  243. 

Merchants  94. 

Mercantile  Firms  215,216,310. 

Meteorological  Observations  7. 

Mexican  Dollar.     Value  of  144,222. 

Mexico  2. 

Middle  Classes  95. 

Mining  156. 

Minerals  156. 

Missions  311. 

Mission  Statistics  325,326,328. 

Municipal  Council  16,152. 

Nankin  28. 

Nankin  Treaty  77.     Napier.  Rt.  Honorable  Lord  70. 

Narcissus  Bulbs  153,155. 

National  Senate  85. 

North  River  6,33. 

Opium  War  70.     Area  cultivated  144. 

Opium  48,70,143,145;  Amount  raised  141,143,151;  Yield  per 
acre  145;  Demoralizing  effect  145;  Revenue  151;  Value 
144,145,146,151;  Suppression  of  146-150;  Anti-opium  Society 
148  ;  Attitude  of  Government  71,146,148;  Attitude  of  British 
Government  70,148;  New  Regulations  147;  Destruction  of 
71  ;  Kolongsu  Municipal  regulations  152  ;  Edicts  in  regard 
to  70. 

Pagoda  Island  121. 
Pagoda  Shadows  119. 
Parker.     Admiral  75 
Parade  Ground  54. 
Parady  &  Co.  214. 


INDEX  337 

Physical  Characteristic  of  the  people  90. 

Pescadores.     The  44,45. 

Picul.  A  46. 

Pirates  16,23,24. 

Places  of  Interest  287. 

Political  Divisions  of  Amoy  District  10;  of  China,  323. 

Population  Anioy  District  5;  of  Amoy  Island  15;  of  Amoy  City 

15;  of  China  323. 
Post-Offices  217,312. 
Potti tiger,  Sir  Henry  74. 
Portuguese.     Arrival  of  43. 
Products  142. 
Protestant  Missions  229. 
Provincial  Assemblies  85. 

Queue.     The  86. 
Quemoy  5. 

Rainfall  7. 
Railroads  15,265. 
Residences.     Foreign  255. 
Rebellions  26. 
Resturants  276. 
Rice  143. 
Rivers  6,33, 143. 
Roads. 

Rocks  1,13,14,119,153. 
Rocking  Stone  296. 
Roman  Catholic  Missions  41,238. 

Romanization.     Amoy  Dialect  201 ;  Date  of  origin  210  ;  Diction- 
aries 210  ;  Literature  211;  Number  of  readers  209. 

Satin  2,22. 

Scenery  285. 

Schools  86. 

Sedan  Chairs  17. 

Seige  of  Amoy  27. 

Secret  Societies  40, 

Senate,  National  85. 

Seventh  Day  Adventists  237. 

Shops  19. 

Signal  Station  256. 

Silk  2,22,46. 

Sio-khe  106. 

Shipping  in  Harbor  15,217. 

Snow  9. 

Shrines  93,128. 

Southern  Sentinel  119. 

Spaniards.     Arrival  of  43. 

Spanish  Dollar.    Value  of  222. 


33§  IN  AND  ABOUT  AMOY 

Spelling  of  Name  6. 

Standard  Oil  Co.  215. 

Statistics.     Emigration  159;  Missions  325;  Trade  324,327,328. 

Steamers  272,313. 

Stores  313. 

Streets  of  Amoy  17,18. 

Sugar  46,146. 

Summer  Resorts  9. 

Sunsets  286. 

Synod  of  Amoy  239. 

Tablets  129-136;  Legend  126;  Origin  129;  Description  of  131-133. 
Length  of  time  worshipped  133  ;  Good  and  bad  feature  135; 

Taiping  Rebellion  26  ;  Foreigners  engaged  in  29,30  ;  at  Chang- 
chow  28  ;  Cause  of  26. 

Tael.    A  46. 

Talmage.     Rev.  J.V.N.  D.D. 

Taitan  Island  5,43. 

Tea  15,143,165^ 

Telegraph  Lines  314. 

Telephones  157. 

Temples  19,25. 

Tientsin  Massacre  30. 

Tientsin  Treaty  77,78. 

Ting-chow  10. 

Tides  15. 

Toa-bo  Mountain  9. 

Tobacco  142. 

Topography  of  Amoy  6,13,14,119. 

Tombs  119,122,123. 

Trade  217. 

Travelling  in  Amoy  265 ;  cost  269. 

Treaty  Ports  77,315- 

Typhoons  8. 

Ultimatum  of  British  Fleet  74. 

Value  of  Trade  217,222. 

Vegetables  142. 

Vernacular,     Amoy  171 ;  Numbers  using  174. 

War  with  England  48;  France  96,  Japan  96. 
Warnshuis.  Rev.  A.  L-  211. 
Worship  of  Idols  and  Spirits  122. 
Wooded  Land  119,153. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  58. 
Zeitun  2,21. 


NOTICES  OF  AMOY  AND  ITS  AFFAIRS 

in 

The  Chinese  Repository 
1833-1850 

Vol.  I.  Amoy  the  principal  emporium  of  Fukien.  Extensive 
trade  with  other  ports  and  the  Indian  Archipelago.  300 
Junks  engaged  in  the  trade  1832  97. 

Vol.  II.    Visited  by  Lindsay  534. 

Vol.  V.     East  India  Company's  trade  125. 

Vol.  VI.  Location  of  Amoy,  Tong-an,  Quemoy,  and  Liau-lti 
Bay  (^SJ-  H  }5£)  12.  Romanization  of  written  language  145. 

Vol.  IX.  Visit  of  H.M.S.  Blonde  222.  Amoy  attacked  by 
H.M.S.  Alligator.  326. 

Vol.  X-  Chinese  account  of  the  visit  of  the  Blonde  443.  Re- 
warding the  defenders  of  Amoy  445.  Account  of  the 
capture  of  Amoy  522.  527.  Announced  by  Henry  Pottinger 
H.  M.  S.  Plenipotentiary  524.  Losses  sustained  by  the 
Chinese  at  the  capture  of  Amoy  590.  A  correspondent's 
accountof  the  capture  621.  The  defenses  of  Amoy  (1841) 
638.  Report  of  Liu  Yun-ko  on  the  British  occupation. 
Forces  left  at  Amoy  after  capture  527.  623. 

Vol.  XI.  Official  report  of  the  capture  of  Amoy  148-157. 
Defenses  of  Amoy  and  Kolongsu  (1842)148. 152.  The  city 
and  harbor  of  Amoy  150.  Forces  left  to  guard  the  place 
after  the  capture  151.  Kolongsu  154.  The  ultimatum  of  the 
British  Fleet  (1841)  155.  Notices  of  missionary  work 
(1842)  504.  Abeel's  Journal  504.  Topography  of  Amoy 
and  Kolongsu  islands  504.  List  of  missionaries  at  Amoy 
(1842)  505.  506.  A  visit  to  Tong-an  506.  Infanticide  507 
Death  of  Mrs.  Boone  509.  Abeel's  notes  on  cruelty,  etc. 
508. 

Vol.  XTI.  Islands  in  the  vicinity  of  Amoy,  Bays,  etc.  121.403. 
Ko-long-su  (&  Jg  &) 

Chapel  Island,  Tang-ti^  (Jfc  tg)  East  Anchor. 
Dodd  fsland.  Tang-tii  (&  *£)  North  Anchor. 
Green  Island,  Chhi  su    (flf  &)  Quemoy   (&  ft)  Le-su 
(•ft) 


Taetan,  Toa-tSn  (;fc  f9)  Big  Burden 
Seaotan,  Soe-t£ui  ($>  iS)  Small  Burden. 
Go-su  (?f  &)  Yi-au  (  B  #)  Tao-sao  (*  <h)  Hwangkwa 
(ft*) 

Kiseu  (8|  H)  also  called  Pagoda  Island.     Chauchat  or 

Taetseao,  Toa-ta  (reef)  (;fc  5j|)  Coker  Rock. 
Hauscu  (|K  &) 
Liau-Iu  Bay  (ft  &  & )  Ting-tae  Bay  (£  f*  ft)  Chimmo 

Bay  (3R  M  «) 

Hu-i-tau  Bay  (S  IS  ft)  Chuan-chow  Bay  (&  #(  ft) 
Taepan  Point  (;fc  &  ft) 
Nantae  Wushan,  L^m-tai-bu  ($j  ^j  ^)  Pagoda.  Southern 

Sentinel. 
Kusau-tah,    Ko-so-tau    (ft  ^  Jg)     Pagoda  on  mainland. 

Near  Chuan-chow. 

Chui-tau  (j}c  |g  ^)  Quemoy  Pagoda. 
Aheel's  Journal  1843.  266.  Visits  from  the  officials  of  Amoy. 
Friendliness  of  the  natives.  Progress  of  Mission  work. 
Excursion  in  the  country  with  Mr.  Lay,  Admiral  Parker, 
and  Dr.  W.  H.  Gumming.  Description  of  the  country, 
farms,  villages  etc.  Punishment  meted  out  to  those  who 
allowed  Amoy  to  be  captured  by  the  British  268.  Limits  of 
port  of  Amoy  630.  Opening  of  H.  M.  S. Consulate  638. 
Vol.  XIII.  British  garrison  and  troops  on  Kolongsu  1844.  12. 
Mission  work.  Hospital  on  Kolongsu.  1844.  74.  Hospital 
opened  in  Amoy  168.  Residence  of  foreigners  on 
Kolongsu.  Attempt  to  have  them  alloted  some  other  place 
168. 

Abeel's  Journal  233.  Hospital  work.  Buddhism.  A  propo- 
sition to  drive  out  the  Manchus  1844.  A  proposed  attack 
on  Changchow  and  Foochow.  Missionaries  secure  two 
rooms  over  in  Amoy  to  conduct  their  work  in  232.  Idolatry. 
Temples. 
Romanization  of  written  language  98. 

Vol.  XTV.  Hu-i-tau  Bay  269.  Entrance  to  Amoy  harbor  269. 
Sailing  directions.  Chinimo  Bay.  Ku-sau-tah  271.  272. 
Chuan-chow  Bay  272. 

Ta-tsui,  Toa-tui  Island  (^  EH).     Siau-tsui,  Soe-tui(/j>  9ft) 
i.e.     Big  Army  and  Small  Army. 


Vol.  XV.  Missions  160.  355.  List  of  missionaries  at  Amoy, 
Statistics  357.  First  baptisms  and  converts  357.  Population 
of  Amoy  160.  363.  Notes  about  the  island  and  city  of 
Amoy  362.  Villages,  products  362.  Trade  363.  Dr.  W.  H. 
Cumming's  Dispensary  work  181.  Feuds  623.  Duty  on  sugar 
and  peas  479. 

Vol.  XVI.  Visit  of  M.  Isidore  Hedde  to  Amoy  and  Chang- 
chow.  Descriptive  75.  Population  (between  200,000  and 
300,000  1847).  Trade  77.  Culture  of  Grass  Cloth  plant 
and  other  plants.  A  trip  to  Chang-chow  with  Rev.  W.  J. 
Pohlman.  Fukien  mentioned  as  the  Switzerland  of  China. 
Notes  on  Chioh-be,  Haiteng  7Q.  Arrival  at  Chang-chow. 
An  anxious  night  81.  A  full  description  of  the  mulberry 
tree,  silk  industry,  manufacture  of  velvet.  Dying  establish- 
ments at  Chang-chow  83. 

The  Chhimmo  piracy  208.  Coolie  emigrants  208.  List  of 
twenty- four  residents  at  Amoy  (1847)  413.  Death  of 
British  Consul  Mr.  Tradescant  Lay  75.  Chimmo  Bay  579. 
Amoy  visited  by  Robert  Fortune,  botanical  collector  to  the 
Horticultural  Society.  London.  580  (1845) 

Vol.  XVII.    Dr.  Cumming's  report  of  Dispensary  work   1846. 
Prevalent  diseases  250.    Number  of  cases  treated  250-253. 
Operations  253. 
Shipping  regulations  375.  Fung-shuy  357. 

Vol.  XVIII.    Medical  Work.    Death  of  Rev.  W.  J.  Pohlman 

51.     Ancestral  worship  371.    Fung-shuy  372.    First  Church 

building  (Sin-koe-a  1848).    Dedicated.    Comments  by  Mr. 

Pohlman  in  a  letter  written  to  children  444. 

Memoir  of  Rev.  David  Abeel  2^*0-275. 
Vol.  XIX.  Trade  report  1849.  .£45,  297/10/6  sterling.  Exchange 

4s  4<i.  521. 
Vol.  XX.    Amoy  Romanization  of  the  written  language  472. 

Mission  work  1851.    The  Triad    Society.     One    of    its 

members  beaten  to  death  at  Amoy  49, 


ERRATA. 

Page  22.    Existd  read  existed. 

Reference  at  the  bottom  misplaced.     See  page  n. 
51.    Magnificent. 

1 13.    Reference  at  the  bottom  misplaced.  See  opposite  page. 
141.    Merchantile  read  mercantile. 
145.    Irresistable  read  irresistible. 
183.    die  read  dye. 
218.     1900  read  1909. 

243.    The  A.  R.  C.  M.  in  brackets  after  Dr.  Cumming's 
name  is  an  error.     He  was  not  commissioned  by 
any  church  or  society. 
272.    Broad  read  board. 
283,284,298,301.  Choan-chiu  read  Chuan-chiu  (Chin-chin). 


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